Law and Prejudice
by Confession68
Summary: Two races, one savage and aggressive, the other inventive and creative are separated by hate and prejudice from thousands of years of war, with the more savage on the surface, and the more inventive forced to flee to the skies. It is forbidden for each to enter into each other's territory, but what happens when one of those savage is forced to do so to keep the peace between them?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** All right, here it is! My newest fic! I had another dream, which inspired this. I hope you guys enjoy it, like you did _Faceless Mask_. Thanks so much for all your support throughout that fic! I hope to see the same support throughout this one. :) Just to let you know, it's another AU, because I've been enjoying those lately! xD Sorry… Anyways, I wanted to use some rock songs to inspire this one, but I ended up also using some other songs, which actually give me the futuristic feel, which is what I wanted too. xD This fic is much rougher around the edges, unlike the last one. :3 Mmm, Rough!Luffy! X3 I used Deftones' Xerces, Change and My Own Summer, Ten Years' Russian Roulette, Dying Youth and So Long, Goodbye, tyDi's Worlds Apart and a Studio Killers' Flawless and True Colors for this. Oh and one Chevelle song, The Red, hahaha, as well as the Oblivion song still! xD I should also warn that they're going to be OOC again. Sorry, but I have fun with that. :3 I usually always keep their base personalities; characteristics you can always recognize from them, but then I build around it with what I want and how I want them to be, which fits the setting of the story. Also, just to let you guys know, it's taking me longer to write this one. So, I may not post a chapter every day. Sorry about that. I've been finding it hard to find quiet rooms in which to write. :( Anyways, enjoy the first chapter! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 1**

Stepping out of the dilapidated building, Luffy looked over his shoulder at the one large word above the door; "Law". Facing forward again, he looked about him at all of the trash, debris, sparse or dead plant life and disrepair as well as the smoke. Something was always burning. The noises around him were loud and violent, but this was a normal day on the surface. This was their world. This was his world; disorderly and dysfunctional, but it was still his job to maintain as much order as was possible. That was what it meant to be a law man. He kept that law to the best of his abilities.

Slowly turning his head to the side, he noticed a fight had broken out. The participants did not care that they were close to the law building. Stepping down the falling apart steps, he then headed over towards them and called out with an irritated growl, "Hey!"

"Keep out of this lawman!" one of them cried as he ran in and rammed his shoulder into his opponent.

"Keep out of it?" Luffy growled out viciously and said, "Have you any idea who you're talking to!?" He then ran forward, leapt high into the air and double split kicked both to knock them away from each other. Both men went flying, one hit a building while another tumbled over a rundown vehicle and fell off the other side.

When the one, who hit the building, got up to come at him, Luffy instantly kicked him hard into his chest, sending him slamming back into the building. The other jumped over the car and onto Luffy's back. Grabbing him, Luffy pulled him over his shoulder, slammed him hard into the concrete sidewalk, pulled back his fist and plowed it into his face several times.

"Now, do you remember who you're talking to?" Luffy yelled down at him and looked up at the other man.

The one against the building sat up with a scowl, but then he slowly nodded. "Lawman Luffy," he called, but then he glared, "sorry…" he muttered, but then he scoffed and stood.

"Get out of here! Both of you! I better not see either of you around here again!" Luffy growled and jerked towards the man standing. The man jolted, but then turned and headed off. The other man stood, grumbling under his breath as he wiped away the blood, and headed the opposite way of his opponent.

Growling out in annoyance, Luffy then huffed and headed home. It was the same every day. Sometimes, he grew tired of it. There had to be better. Walking down the sidewalk, Luffy shoved a drunken man out of his way, the man tumbling to the ground and just getting back up as if nothing had happened.

At a crosswalk, he noticed other pedestrians bumping carelessly into an elderly man, and one bumped into him much harder, causing him to fall. Luffy quickly rushed forward, shoving the offender out of his way harshly and caught the elderly man before he hit the ground. The offender called out a growled utterance, but Luffy ignored him, and the man just continued on.

"Are you all right?" Luffy asked with a frown as he helped the old man to right himself.

Scoffing in irritation, the elderly man nodded his head shakily and said, "I'm fine, lawman." He then looked to the back of the man who shoved him and called, "Asshole! Watch where you're going! If I was in my prime, I'd kick your ass!"

"Fuck off, old man!" the man called over his shoulder.

"You're welcome," Luffy muttered sarcastically and helped the man the rest of the way across the street, despite his insistence that he would be fine, before heading off again. His jaw flexed as he looked about him at the people; his people, who lacked respect and manners, and who seemed to always want to fight.

Coming up to his apartment building, which looked just as dirty and dilapidated as the rest of the rundown, piece of shit city, Luffy looked up at it and one side of his nose lifted with disgust. What was sad was that it was one of the better looking buildings within the city. Scoffing, he then just got into his dingy hover vehicle, which he always left at home, since he worked not too far away, and headed out of the city.

He kept going for nearly an hour, driving through the wasteland, but finally, some trees began to dot the landscape. Seeing more of the green, he stopped his vehicle and stepped out. Going to the front, he pulled himself up to sit and just stared out. It was so peaceful there without a soul about.

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and felt himself relaxing. He then opened them and lifted them to the skies. It was always cloudy, and he could only see bits of the sky through the gaps as well as the glass bridges connecting them. Slowly the clouds drifted, taking the sky cities with them.

The clouds served their purpose to hide their existence from those on the surface. It was the way they wanted it. However, he could see the specks moving through the glass tunnel bridges, which showed they did exist up there. Each cloud casted a shadow across the expanse of greenery, and each gap casted a large shape, usually square-ish from where the sun shined through.

Slowly blinking his eyes above, he had to wonder what it was like up there. Was it better than the shithole city he lived in or the other shithole cities around their planet? It was not much better elsewhere. His people were not the nicest or cleanest. It was the very reason those in the sky lived in the sky.

For thousands of years their two races had warred with each other relentlessly, and all of it had been started by his people. His entire race was naturally aggressive, and they always claimed to be born warriors. It was unfortunate for the sky dwellers to have existed on the same planet as them. He did not blame them for escaping to the skies. It was the only way they could each have peace; it was the only way for them to have peace from his people. They were just too different. For a little less than half a century, there had not been any more wars between the two races, but that did not stop his kind from fighting within themselves.

A strong wind blew past him, causing his hair to drift across his forehead and tickle his flesh. Sighing deeply, he lay down over his hover vehicle and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep. He dreamt of drifting clouds and a bright, clean city. He wanted to live there.

Half an hour later, he woke with a gasp, when his den went off. He sat up quickly to see the sun was already setting in the horizon. Quickly fumbling within his pocket, he retrieved his den and answered it. "What is it?"

"Luffy, where the fuck are you?"

"Ace?" Luffy questioned and swiped a hand down his face. "Uh… out."

"Obviously! We have a situation on our hands! Get back to the law office!"

"Shit," Luffy growled, shoving his den back into his pocket and heading back to the shithole of a city.

"Why the fuck did it take you an hour to get here?" Ace asked as soon as Luffy walked in.

"I was out!" Luffy said and glared, but shoved passed to head inside. "So, what's the situation?"

"We got an escapee on our hands," Dragon said, just eyeing his son intently.

"An escapee?" Luffy said and frowned deeply. "Who?"

"Marshall," Garp said and turned to his grandson within his chair at his desk.

"Teach?" Luffy said and grit his teeth into a scowl.

"That's right," Garp said and slowly stood to make his way over to him.

"From what we hear, he had help," Roger said, moving to sit on a nearby desk and regard the youngest of the bunch.

"Was it one of his old crew?" Luffy asked, glancing to each of them there.

"Nope, and that's got us curious," Roger said and then slid a thin hologram image towards him.

Luffy pressed his fingers into it and slid it more towards him to look at the image there. The blonde man wore a cloth over his head, and his earlobes looked much longer than normal with earrings on the ends of them. His suit was clean cut, far too clean. Right off, he could tell the man was _not_ of their kind. "A sky dweller? What is a sky dweller doing down here?" he asked and frowned deeply.

"Exactly," Ace said, folding his arms before him. "It obviously can't be anything good, especially if he's breaking out Teach."

"Why would he do that? The sky dwellers hate us," Luffy said, feeling his skin crawl. What was the meaning behind this? He did not like it one bit.

"And we most certainly hate them," Dragon growled out, staring intently at the image with a fire in his eyes.

"What's more disturbing is how he even learned about Teach. The sky dwellers never come close to our cities and only come down for unused resources, far from our cities. If he did come down specifically for Teach, there's only one reason he would want him," Roger said, looking amused.

All four men nodded their head in agreement, and then all five said simultaneously, "To blow shit up."

"But to blow what up, is the question?" Luffy muttered, still staring at the image.

"Well, if this sky dweller hated us enough, it could be us, and Teach would be more than willing to do it, since he just likes to blow shit up and people. This is why he's in prison to begin with," Ace said, scratching over his chest through his loose button up shirt.

"It would have to be that. The sky dweller obviously won't want to blow up the sky cities. That's his home," Dragon said and frowned deeply. 

"Do we at least have a clue where he went?" Luffy asked as he looked up to the other four.

"Not yet. We need to head to the prison to meet the warden, who called this in," Garp said with a deeper frown as he glanced to the image.

"Well, let's get on this. The sooner we track him, the better, and definitely before he does start blowing shit up," Luffy said, though he looked deep in thought. However, he then just turned and headed out.

"Yup, let's head out," Dragon said, pushing off the desk and lifting up the thin image to turn off and stick into his shirt pocket.

"Jaguar, the building is under your command until we get back," Garp called as he also headed out.

"Ah, yes sir," Saul said and nodded to them as they left.

"See ya later, Saul," Roger said with a grin to the rotund man as they headed out.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** So, there it is; the first chapter. I know not much has happened yet, but it'll get there. You guys trust me, right? :3 Anyways, what do you think so far? Let me know! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Until next time! :3


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Glad to know you guys are interested. Here's the second chapter. Enjoy. :3

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 2**

Luffy had a lot to think about on the drive to the prison, only a short way away from the city. As they approached, they could see the warden just outside, leaning against the wall. Shutting off his vehicle, he and Ace exited as Garp, Dragon and Roger exited the other.

"Prison warden, Laovhe D. Cheetah," Garp called as he approached the man.

Laohve pushed off the wall with a deep frown and called in greeting, "Law Chief Garp."

Dragon let his door close on its own as he approached with a glare, and then he said, "Some warden you are, Laohve. How the fuck did you let some sky dweller bust out Teach?"

"Fuck off, Dragon," Laohve growled, looking about ready to fight, and he even took a step forward. "I don't need to take your shit. Fucking sky dweller comes in here with some device. He electrocuted all of my prison guards. They'll live though. It was just enough to subdue them and give the sky dweller enough time to bust out Teach."

"Okay, so where did they go?" Ace asked and glanced about. "Don't tell me you couldn't even chase them down?"

"I said fuck off!" Laohve growled angrily in his impatience. "We chased them for as long as we were able!"

"So, then where did they go?" Luffy asked with a deep frown, but did not antagonize him as the others did. Taking a breath and relaxing slightly to Luffy's calmer question, Laohve lifted his arm and pointed upward. All five men looked up, and Luffy's eyes widened. "Wait, are you telling us he took him up into the sky cities? Why would he do that?" he asked, though he knew no one had the answers.

"Your guess is as good as mine. We tried to stop them, but the sky dweller's vehicle was fast. They were up in the sky long before we could do shit," Laohve said and shrugged. "I kept my eyes on it, just to make sure they didn't just head somewhere down here, but the vehicle kept going up and then disappeared within the clouds. I just thought you should at least know."

"What would he want with Teach up there?" Ace said, gazing up at the very slowly drifting clouds.

"No idea, but it can't be good. They have to be warned," Luffy said, looking worried as he also gazed up.

"And what're we supposed to do? Just go on up and knock on their door? We're forbidden from going up there, just as they are forbidden from entering our cities. Fuck the sky dwellers. Let them deal with it. It's out of our hands now. Let's go home," Dragon said with a frown to his son and turned as if he meant to do just that.

"Teach is our responsibility. We have to find him. Maybe someone can sneak in," Luffy said and looked to his grandfather, since he was in charge.

"Are you fucking serious, boy? Who the fuck cares?" Dragon said and turned to frown with incredulity to his son.

"Wait, someone? Are you thinking what I think you're thinking? You mean just one of us, don't you? That's risky and let's not forget, impossible. Who's to say they won't kill first and not bother with the questions? It's not worth it. I think for once I agree with your father. Let the sky dwellers deal with it," Ace said, frowning deeply and looking very unhappy with this.

"And by someone, you mean you, don't you? Yes, definitely, fuck this shit. You're not going up there for the sake of those assholes," Dragon said, his eyes narrowed on his son.

"The sky dwellers already hate us! We don't need Teach giving them more of a reason to do it and start more wars! I don't know what this sky dweller wants, but that doesn't matter! Teach is one of ours, and so we should deal with it! And yes, I do mean to go alone. We can't risk more going. The chances of being caught would be much higher, and if we are caught, and if they do kill first, at least it's only one of us," Luffy said, frowning to Ace and his father.

"And how are we supposed to know if you're dead?" Ace said, looking even more unhappy and agitated.

"We can inject him with a monitoring device. If his heart stops, we'll know it," Roger muttered slowly as he stared intently at Luffy, but then he just shrugged.

"I don't like this," Dragon said, frowning to the point of a near scowl.

"Neither do I," Ace agreed and crossed his arms. "I'm coming with you."

"It'd be too risky!" Luffy said and frowned to Ace.

"So what? Two isn't as risky as all of us. You'll need the help," Ace countered, looking determined.

"Hold on a damn minute," Garp said and growled with his arms crossed and gazing down at all of them. "Quit making decisions all on your own."

"You know it's the only way, old man! I want to do this! I've got to do this!" Luffy said, narrowing his eyes at his grandfather. "I'm smaller than all of you, so I should be able to slip in undetected."

"I'm not much larger than you. I'm coming with you. If you want to fight about it, we can, but you know I'll win," Ace said, glaring back at Luffy challengingly, though Luffy glared back just as much.

"We don't have time to argue about this," Luffy growled and huffed.

Garp growled, still looking displeased, but then he huffed. "Fine, but we still need to get you both up there."

"Wait, seriously, old man?" Dragon asked, now looking at the old man as if he were crazy.

"I'm sure we can commandeer a vehicle to take us up. There are lots of old vehicles lying about, but fixing one is the problem. We can drop them off, but where will we do that? We have no idea what sort of monitoring or defenses they have," Roger said with a frown as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I guess we'll just have to improvise," Garp said as he glanced up. "Let's see about that vehicle first."

"Well, since you're going through all the trouble, just make sure you bring me back my prisoner," Laohve called after them with a scoff, but looked in no way ready to head back to the prison. He leaned against the wall and gazed out.

"We'll get you your fucking prisoner back. Don't worry your tiny little head off, Laohve. Let the big boys work now to find what you lost," Dragon called over his shoulder with a growl.

"Fuck you, Dragon! Bring me that sky dweller too, if you can! Though, I wouldn't want you to have to work too hard!" Laovhe called back, but did not move his eyes from the scenery, and then he yawned.

"We'll leave the sky dwellers to deal with their own kind!" Luffy called over his shoulder, but did not turn to look at Laovhe.

"Wait, we will?" Ace asked, pausing in his step to look at Luffy.

"This sky dweller committed a crime on our surface, and so he will answer to us in those crimes," Dragon said with a scowl to his son.

"No, that could also potentially start a war. I'd rather keep the peace," Luffy said, and Dragon immediately spoke after.

"Keep the _peace_? Are you fucking serious, boy! That sky dweller insulted us by-"

"So what!?" Luffy yelled loudly as he turned and approached his father. "Did he hurt your pride, or do you just hate them that much?"

"You were born during the time of peace. You didn't experience what it was like during the wars-"

"_That we started_!" Luffy yelled so loudly and viciously, that it took everyone there aback, and even Laovhe looked over with a frown. "We started every single fucking battle-every war! They have every right to hate us, but we have no fuckin' reason whatsoever to hate them, when they didn't do anything wrong, except exist apparently! _We did this_!" he yelled and motioned his arm about them, to all of the dead trees, the grassless ground, debris and dilapidated buildings. "So don't you fucking tell me, I don't know what it's like or experienced it or whatever the fuck you just said! _I am experiencing it_! The surface looks like shit! _We did this_!" he repeated again, but then he just spit at the ground at his father's feet, which made his father scowl back at him. "It's no wonder they finally fled from us. I can't even stand to be around my own kind anymore. Maybe that's why we're always so violent. We make ourselves that way," he said more calmly as he turned away, leaving everyone speechless. "Let's just find Teach and put him back where he belongs," he said as he moved to get into his vehicle.

Ace sighed slowly and deeply, but then he muttered, "Sadly… he has a point." He then headed after Luffy to get into the vehicle with him.

"What the fuck is his problem?" Dragon muttered, just staring at his son. "We are who we are!"

Garp was also gazing back at his grandson, but he made no reply and instead headed for his own vehicle. Roger now sighed, breaking the silence which fell and said, "Something is bothering the boy, but since we all always seem like we're angry, we never noticed." He then gave Dragon's shoulder a slap before heading off as well, but then said over his shoulder, "We are who we make ourselves…"

"Whatever," Dragon muttered and finally followed as well, but then he sighed.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: ** I guess I should mention, though I think you've already realized, I've made them an aggressive race in this. Always confrontational, always up for a fight and this is why there were always wars. :3 Of course, there will always be oddballs, who refuse to conform to conformity… like Luffy. Though, not to say he doesn't still have a bit of aggression. xD I think by now, you've also realized that the surface dwellers are the D's. xD Seeing as there are only 8 known D's within One Piece right now, to which half are dead, which kind of makes me sad, I had to make some up. He is loosely based off a friend of mine, and he's the one, who came up with the name as well. xD Laovhe D. Cheetah, which is apparently a play on the gangstah way of saying, love da cheatah, which means, obviously, love the cheater. xD Quite clever, seeing as he came up with it right away, when I asked him to use an animal name as a last name! xD Anyways, still enjoying it so far? I hope so! Stick with me! Stay tuned for the next chapter! :3


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, but had to at least finish chapter 5 before posting this one. Getting these chapters written is coming slowly. So, I do apologize. I may be posting every other day, instead of every day. :( Anyways, enjoy!

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 3**

"Damn it, we wasted precious time to find this piece of shit. How are we supposed to get it to run?" Dragon asked, looking at an antique flying vehicle, which they had to make calls just to find it.

"I have books. I can fix it myself," Luffy muttered, though he was frowning at the vehicle.

"Are you serious?" Dragon asked, looking to his son with incredulity.

"Who else is going to fix it? We need this vehicle," Luffy said and frowned to the man, but then he turned away. "I already figured we would need to fix it. That's why I got the books. There are… manuals here, left by the sky dwellers. I've already been reading some of them."

"Well," Ace said and sighed, "let's get started then."

Looking over to him, Luffy frowned and said, "You'll help me?"

"Time is wasting away. Two would be better than one. Just tell me what I need to do," Ace said and nodded.

Regarding him in silence for a few moments, Luffy just nodded and said, "All right." He then lifted the book to read as they worked, giving Ace instructions.

Garp, Dragon and Roger just watched from the sidelines with intrigue. None of their race was patient enough to fix anything, which was why the cities were in such disrepair. Not to mention the cities were built by the sky dwellers and abandoned when they fled to the skies. Anything technological had been built or created by them. They had all moved in, since it was already there, at least, what they had not destroyed.

After a while, the three served as errand boys to retrieve the necessary parts from other broken down vehicles. Two hours had past, and Luffy stepped away from the vehicle, wiping the sweat from his dirty brow. "I think that's it. Start her up, Ace."

"Right," Ace said and moved to enter the vehicle. Huffing out air through his lips, he then pushed the button, and to their relief, the vehicle started without a hitch.

Grinning brightly and looking extremely proud of himself, Luffy began to laugh and said, "We did it!"

"Damn right, we did it!" Ace said, also grinning in his own pride and relief.

"That's really impressive, boys," Roger said, looking just that; impressed.

"Well, I'll be damned," Dragon muttered with a huff, and then he smiled.

"Good work, boys," Garp said and nodded slowly. "Now we just need to clean it up a bit. Those sky dwellers were always about cleanliness."

"Right," Ace said, shutting off the vehicle and getting out. "Let's hurry up. We need to get up there."

"Yeah," Luffy muttered with a nod, his frown once again returning, but then he pushed off the vehicle, where he had been leaning against, and moved to clean it as his grandfather said.

Both young men scrubbed it down as best they could, and then Ace stepped back to get a look at it. "I think this is about as clean as it's going to get," he said and sighed out. He was pretty tired.

"Looks like it," Luffy agreed with a huff. "Now to clean ourselves and put on clean clothes. Hopefully, we will fit in."

"Who knows?" Ace muttered and shrugged. "Better not to be seen at all."

"Well, just in case…" Luffy said before turning away to get clean. "We'll be back."

Ace nodded and tossed his rag. He then turned to leave with Luffy. As they walked back into the law building towards the showers, Ace glanced to the shorter young man beside him, but then faced forward again. "You're really looking forward to this," he stated quietly.

Luffy did not speak right away, but then he slowly nodded and said, "Yeah, kind of. I just know it will be different. I would just like to see it."

"Is that all it really is? I know you hate it here. Is it really so bad-?"

"Yeah, it's really that bad," Luffy replied, cutting him off curtly. "How can you think it's not that bad, and don't tell me, it's because it's home. This isn't our home. We stole this city, and before you say it's because they abandoned it, think about it first. They abandoned it because of us. Don't you ever get tired of it?" he asked and paused to face him.

Ace also paused to frown at him and asked, "Tired of what?"

"Of all the fighting – There's always fighting! It can't all just be about the fighting; about who is strongest. There has to be more. Being lawmen and trying to keep order is really just one big excuse to fight those, who would challenge us," Luffy said, but then he continued into the showers.

"I think you've been reading too many of those old books-"

"And is _that_ really so bad?" Luffy asked and quickly turned, making Ace stop abruptly and lean back.

Frowning down at Luffy, Ace then sighed deeply, gazing down into his frowning face, but then he muttered, "I don't know."

Scoffing up at him, Luffy turned again and headed to a stall, already undressing. "The sky dwellers invented amazing things; things we are currently using, because it's convenient. Like, this shower, for instance. Our kind has nothing to show for itself, as far as intelligence goes. We're too busy fighting to attempt at creating anything as simple, yet amazing as a fucking shower. The hover vehicles we drive; we didn't do that. The sky dwellers did. They were polite and kind, and because of that, they worked together and got along. We can't do that-Well, apparently we work all right together, and there are even some, who are working and taking over the factories the sky dwellers left behind, but there are always fights," he said as he stepped into the hot spray. "I still think there is so much more we can do, if we allow ourselves to do it."

Ace just listened as he also stepped under the hot spray and began scrubbing himself down, but then after a while, he nodded. "Maybe you're right."

"I know I'm right," Luffy muttered and sighed. "It wouldn't hurt to show a little kindness… gratitude and politeness, like how I read about in those books. Our own kind appreciates nothing," he continued to mutter, letting the water fall over him for a while after scrubbing himself clean, but then he shut it off. "I think we could be so much better, if we allowed it."

"But convincing all those assholes out there… Now there's a challenge," Ace said and huffed out in some amusement as he also shut off the water. "Let's get Teach back. Maybe you're right. Maybe this could be the first step to really earning the peace with the sky dwellers. We weren't around during the wars, so we don't hate them as much as everyone else seems to, but you're right, Luffy. We did start those wars. We've no right to hate them, but they have every right to hate us."

"Yes, and whatever no good Teach does while up there will only prove to the sky dwellers that we've not changed at all. They just want to stay safe. They're not as strong as us. Maybe instead of constantly trying to kill them off… maybe… we can protect them instead," Luffy muttered, and Ace quickly looked over to him in surprise.

"Seriously?" he asked, completely stunned.

"Yes, seriously," Luffy said and looked over to him as he put his clothes back on. "Let's go change," he said and headed to his locker, where he kept a clean set of clothes.

"Right," Ace muttered and followed him.

Once both were changed, they returned to the garage and looked to their fathers as well as the old man. "We're ready, old man," Luffy said, looking determined.

"You boys had better be careful, and don't you dare fail us. Dragon is going to fly you both up there, just in case we need to come up if something goes wrong with the both of you," Garp said, coming up to them and injecting them both with monitoring devices. "We'll be watching, and here, take this hologram with that sky dweller on it. You can show it to them, if you happen to get caught… That is, if they don't kill you first."

"Yeah," Luffy muttered and sighed out through his lips.

"Vitals reading perfectly," Roger said, their vitals already coming up on his hologram device, but then he smiled. "Luffy seems excited."

Luffy just scoffed, but he did not deny it. He was excited. He had always wanted to see the sky cities for himself and see what they were like, but had always thought it impossible, since they were forbidden. "Let's just go," he muttered and headed for the vehicle.

"It's pretty late, so hopefully, most of the sky dwellers are asleep," Dragon said, moving to get into the driver's seat. "Can't be all that difficult to fly this thing."

"It's still a hover craft as well," Roger said, looking slightly amused, but he took a step back, just in case.

Dragon just snorted and said, "Let's go, boys!"

Both Luffy and Ace got into the vehicle and strapped themselves in. "Both of you had better stay safe," Garp said to each young man, and then he looked to Dragon, "and you too."

"I'll be fine. I'm just driving them up there," Dragon said, giving his father a look, but then he closed the door.

"We'll see you," Ace said and closed his door as well.

Luffy said nothing as he closed his and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down, but he was way too excited. He could not wait to get up there already. What would it look like? It had to be better than the cities they lived in; all old remnants of the inhabitants long gone. He had never gotten to see the cities at their best, since the wars had long ravaged them before he was born, but he had seen pictures within books. The cities had once been beautiful. Perhaps, if he could just see the cities for himself… just maybe… something could change.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'aww, Luffy… You're cute. We're finally getting along now. xD Soon, the good stuff will come, lawl! Stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** All right, here's chapter 4. I find it fun, when you guys try and predict things. :3 I am amused, lawl! Anyways, I won't keep you! Enjoy this chapter! :D****

**Law and Prejudice******

**Chapter 4**

"Not bad, boys. She's running really well. Switching to flight mode, so hang on," Dragon said and pushed a button.

"Moment of truth. Can you really fly, Dragon?" Ace said and smirked to him.

"Let's find out," Dragon said, smirking a well, and then he pulled up on the controls. The craft pulled up into the air smoothly, heading straight up. "Nice. It's actually really easy."

"Good, that means we don't die today," Ace said with a chuckle and smirked wider.

"It means he won't kill us, you mean," Luffy said and shook his head.

"Shut up, boy," Dragon said offhandedly as he piloted the aircraft towards the clouds. "Your shit repair job could still kill us, if the aircraft cuts out."

"He has a point," Ace said and just laughed.

"Shut up, Ace" Luffy snapped, though he would not admit it was totally possible. "Enough about dying. We're going to succeed."

"Of course we are," Ace replied, as if it was matter of fact.

"All right, we're close. We seem to be high on supply of moments of truth," Dragon said and took in a deep breath.

The moment Dragon spoke those words, Luffy's heart rate increased, and in the back of his mind, he knew Garp and Roger were picking it up back on the surface. He did not care. Would they make it safely, or would the sky dwellers immediately detect them?

"Shit! We've been detected!" Dragon said, looking through the monitor screens. "They're headed our way!"

Well, there went that. "Just keep going, dad!" Luffy cried as he sat up to look.

"This is going to be bumpy! Just hang on! Maybe I can lose them long enough to get you boys into the city!" Dragon said, pulling harshly on the controls to try and lose their pursuers. He flew them right into the clouds and then above them.

"Whoa!" Ace cried, when they nearly collided with, what seemed to be a gigantic metal wall of a massive platform.

"Shit! Hold on-Hold on!" Dragon said, turning the controls quickly to dodge it and several other obstacles in their path.

"That was fucking risky, damn it!" Ace yelled as he gripped tight to his door.

"Yeah, but it worked! They didn't follow!" Luffy said, keeping his eyes on the monitor.

"No, but they will find a way around it! I need to drop you boys off now!" Dragon said as he looked about him on alert.

Luffy glanced up from the monitor, but did a double take once they reached the top of the thick platform, which served as the ground floor of a sky city. His jaw dropped to what he could see. So many lights lit up the massive city, and what he could see was beautiful.

"Whoa, shit," Ace whispered, gaping as well.

"Whoa, shit, is right," Dragon said, glancing over several times, but then shook his head. "Now is not the time to gawk, damn it!"

"R-Right," Luffy muttered as he also tried to focus, though his eyes were drawn to the city. However, spying something, he quickly pointed and called, "There! Looks to be a train!"

"A what?" Dragon asked, looking confused.

"Damn it, did no one read the damn books the sky dwellers left behind! Just go to that long… vehicle thing that's moving really fast!" Luffy said, keeping his arm pointed towards it. "Just drop us on top, and we'll try and blend in. As long as we can keep moving, it should be fine!"

"Right…Oh, that thing," Dragon said and steered towards it. "Shit, it's fast. Are you sure you can make that jump?"

"Just do it! We don't have a lot of time!" Luffy said, already unbuckling his belt, and so Ace did the same. As soon as they got close, Luffy opened his door and the wind whipped out at them. "Come on, Ace!" he yelled over the noise of the train and wind.

"Got it!" Ace said, also opening his door.

"Shit, hurry it up! I can't maintain this for long with the speed and wind!" Dragon yelled over the noise as well.

"Here goes," Luffy called, and then he and Ace both jumped.

Dragon quickly pulled the wheel to the side, forcing the doors to close, and then he headed off to lead the sky dwellers away from the boys as well as to head back home. They would not chase him to the surface; that, he knew. "Good luck, boys," he whispered, though he had to admit he was worried for them.

When both hit the roof of the train, Luffy bounced up and right off the side. "Luffy!" Ace yelled, rolling over and catching his wrist right on time.

Being jerked back, Luffy hit the side of the train car with a cry. "Fuck!" he cried and looked down at the fast passing ground.

"Come on!" Ace cried, pulling him up. "We need to keep moving!"

"Let's get off the roof!" Luffy said and both quickly crawled to the divide between cars. They both jumped down, and Luffy opened the door. "These back here looks like cargo cars. The passenger cars would be towards the front."

"You and your books," Ace muttered as he slipped inside, sliding the door closed. 

"Shut it. My having read is going to come in handy," Luffy said as they made their way to the other side. 

"It is really impressive though," Ace admitted as they switched to the next car.

"Look, there is a passenger car ahead," Luffy said, but then gasped when an alarm went off.

"Attention all passengers. For your own safety, please remain within your cabins. If you are not within your cabin, please return immediately. There are intruders onboard. The authorities have already been alerted and are on their way."

"Fuck!" Ace cried when the message kept repeating over and over again.

Then both were lurched forward, when the train's brakes were set off. Luffy hit the floor and Ace landed on top of him. "Damn it! We need to hide!" Luffy cried as he pushed himself up when Ace rolled off. 

"Under the, uh... train! It's our best bet!" Ace said, scrambling up to his feet and heading back the way they came.

"Agreed," Luffy said and followed him. 

As the train finally stopped, they jumped down and crawled under. Turning on their backs, they grabbed onto the bottom of the train and pulled themselves up. Already the sirens could be heard in the distance, and within seconds the train was surrounded. If they had tried to run, they would not have made it.

"Shit," Ace whispered and lowered his head to get a look. Those were a lot of legs. "Holy shit, did they send the whole fuckin' army on us?"

"Shh," Luffy whispered, but his heart was pounding. Would hiding even make a difference, or would they be found anyway?

"We know you're there! Come out now with your hands visible! And we know you're a carrier! We can read your DNA!" a voice called through an amplified speaker for them to be heard loudly, and the voice did not sound happy.

"Fuck-Fuck! They can, what? This is bad," Ace whispered, pressing his forehead into the bottom of the car.

"Listen to me, Ace. You need to find Teach, no matter what, you hear me? No matter what," Luffy whispered, his hold on the metal bar gripping tighter.

"Wait, what?" Ace whispered and looked over to him.

"Stay hidden. No matter what, don't you dare come out. Find Teach and be careful. Don't let them find you," Luffy whispered and let himself drop.

"No, Luffy!" Ace hissed, but then bashed his forehead into the car.

Luffy rolled out and held up his hands. "I don't mean you any harm," he called out and sat on his knees. Maybe, just maybe he could appeal to them to help him find Teach, and just maybe, they would not kill him.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'aww Luffy… You so brave! Lawl, kind of seems like their roles are reversed, with Luffy trying to protect Ace. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :P Stay tuned for the next one!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** How disappointing… I only received 4 reviews for last chapter. T_T Oh well… not like I will stop posting… but I do enjoy feedback to make sure you guys enjoy the story. Anyways, I won't keep you. Enjoy this chapter.

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 5**

"There you are, you son of a bitch," a man with white hair and a cigar in his mouth said and quickly came forward. Throwing back his arm, he decked Luffy across the face. "How dare you set foot within our city?"

Grunting to the hit, Luffy twirled to the side and hit the ground, but then he just pushed himself up to his knees again. "Smoker… we wouldn't want to anger him," another man with pink hair said. "I hear they're monsters."

"I'm not a monster," Luffy said as he looked to each face there. "I'm sorry for trespassing, but I have a good reason."

"Wait, you're sorry for trespassing? You have a _good_ reason?" a large blonde haired man said, and Luffy's eyes widened. His right arm and jaw were missing, and in their places were a metal arm and jaw. The large man stepped up, looking quite large and very angry. "It's forbidden for your kind to come up here for _any_ reason!" he said, and then he, too, hit Luffy with his metallic arm. Now, that one hurt a bit. "Like my new arm and jaw? You're kind took the originals!"

Luffy flew to the side with grunt, but this time, he spit up a bit of blood, which pooled within his mouth. His eyes went huge as he looked up to the man and cringed. He then pushed himself up to his knees again. "I'm… I'm sorry," he said quietly, making the other man look angrier, but then he quickly said, "I know it's forbidden. I'm sorry, but it's important."

"What in the skies is this?" the man now called Smoker said, looking a bit confused.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble. I'm here to warn you," Luffy said, but the large and dark skinned blonde man spoke immediately after he did in his growing anger.

"Warn us? Don't you mean threaten!?"

"No!" Luffy cried and shook his head quickly. "I told you! I don't mean you any harm!"

"Enough!" the pink haired man said, and Luffy instantly looked over to him. "Let's just get him back to headquarters so the Intel-Guards can interrogate him."

Luffy instantly relaxed. At least this meant they would not kill him... just yet. He would get a chance to explain why he was there and warn them about Teach and the sky dweller. "Shackle him, then, Helmeppo," the big blonde said with a growl.

Another blonde, though with long hair and a strange device covering his eyes came forward and removed some shackles from his belt. "Yes sir, dad-I mean Battle-Guard Morgan, sir," he said and stopped before Luffy. "Stand up, you carrier scum."

Luffy frowned softly, but slowly stood up at his request and held out his wrists. Helmeppo shackled his wrists and then knelt down to also shackle his ankles. Then he stood once again, reached up quickly and shackled a metal ring collar around Luffy's neck.

With a gasp, Luffy stepped back and attempted to look down at the collar. Helmeppo laughed, as well as a few others, and then he said, "A special collar for the savage dog." He tapped the front of the collar with a small metal bar and a symbol lit up brightly, showing the letter D. More light beams also lit up, attaching to the other shackles, like chains. "Marked appropriately for the carrier, who holds that cursed mark for anyone to see it." 

Instantly beginning to frown deeper, Luffy swallowed down hard and clamped his jaw hard to the bright and large mark. It was who he was; a D, just like everyone on the surface. Slowly, Luffy lifted his gaze to Helmeppo, but then he tilted his chin up proudly.

"Let's go, dog!" Helmeppo said with annoyance as he shoved Luffy towards the others and to their flying vehicles, which looked much cleaner and newer than the one they had used, and they were pure white with black accents.

As they flew, Luffy gazed out of the window at the metal city colored in silvers, whites and blacks. He was in so much awe of it. He could see so much more of it, now that the sun was rising. The buildings were so tall and shiny, glistening within the sunlight, and there was so much glass and so many windows; huge windows. He could see other flying vehicles buzzing about, and it filled his heart with excitement. He wanted to see more!

However, his eyes focused on the bright and backward letter, which shined bright in the reflection of the glass and sighed. It was just as bad as he thought it would be. He knew they hated his kind, but at least they did not just kill him, and for that, he was very grateful. He would do his best, explain the situation and hope all goes well. He was just glad they did not find Ace.

As soon as all the authorities departed, Ace quickly let go of the train, dropping to the ground, and did an assessment of the area. Rolling out from under the train, he picked himself up and entered back into the train. He dug around within the luggage to find something more suitable to wear to be able to blend in. When he heard the announcement that they would be on their way again, he quickly jumped out and took off running towards the city, bringing his old clothes with him. Slipping within an alleyway, he dumped his clothes within a trash bin and took steps back. He then turned with a growl and slammed his fist into the metallic wall of the building.

"Fuck!" he growled and hit it again.

How could Luffy do that? They were supposed to stick together! Even so, he knew why Luffy had done it. They had not been sure the sky dwellers would not have just killed them. This way, at least one of them was still alive to find Teach. Instead of killing Luffy, however, the sky dwellers had taken him away. Taking deep breaths, he turned back to the dumpster and looked inside. Finding a shard of metal, he removed it, wiping it down with his old clothes and headed towards the exit of the alleyway.

Cutting into his hand before he left, he dropped the metal shard and began to walk amongst the sky dwellers, all bustling about their morning to go about their daily routines. Without them looking, Ace discreetly touched each person he bumped into with his bloodied hand, spreading his DNA about. If they really were monitoring for that, he needed to camouflage himself as much as possible. Eventually, when they realized they were following dummies, they would give up trying to find him that way, and he would be freer to move about. He would need to find a place to sleep soon. He would be no good without rest.

Glancing up, he watched as all sorts of flying vehicles buzzed around overhead. It really was very impressive and so clean. Looking to the side, his eyes widened, watching as robots cleaned up the streets and sidewalks. The sky dwellers really were so inventive. He could not help feeling a bit awed. Maybe Luffy was right to be excited to see it, but then thinking on Luffy made him frown. He hoped his little brother would be all right. He needed to find Teach and then get to his brother.

As he walked, and since he was looking up instead of where he was going, he bumped into someone, who cried out with a gasp. He slowly glanced to the periwinkle haired young woman over his shoulder as he continued to walk, and she just stared back into his freckled face with wide eyes. He said nothing to her and just turned back around to keep going.

The woman just stood where she was with a frown. The man had not even excused himself, when he clearly bumped into her. Though she had been too stunned by the look he gave her, that she had not excused herself either. She shuddered to the memory of the look in his eyes - so haunting; so fierce and so dark.

Biting into her lip, she felt her skin tingle, but then she took slow steps back, just watching until he disappeared within the crowd of people. Turning around slowly, she just continued on to get to work, or else, she would be late. With a sigh, she pushed into her building, but frowned into her reflection.

"What the…?" she whispered and tilted her head. "Blood? Shit, this blouse is ruined now, and just when I was getting to work," she whispered, frowning deeper and then looked down at her side. Where had the blood come from? She did not feel any pain, so she could not have cut herself. Where had it come from? She then quickly turned her head in the direction that man had gone. Was it his blood?

"Hey, Nojiko, you all right?" a co-worker asked from inside.

Giving her head a shake, she then just continued on inside to start her shift. "I'm fine," she muttered in reply, using a hand to cover over the blood stain. She would just put it out of her mind and try to forget that face.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Lawl! HAWT! Yes, Ace is hawt, and damn it, I miss him… T_T **(SPOILER ALERT) **Well, he's not dead to me… at least… not in my fics. ;_; He lives on! Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter…


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** All right, we've made it to chapter 6. I'm enjoying writing these. It's so much fun! I'm so glad I've got my groove back! :3 It was depressing not being able to write! T_T I'm getting back into a depression though, because my hubby is having a hard time finding a job position. Been back home two months already, and still nothing. He's becoming depressed as well, and that makes me so sad. I don't like seeing him so depressed. :( Hopefully, something turns up soon… Anyways, I'm done depressing you with my problems. Enjoy this chapter. :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 6**

Luffy gazed at the building through his window as they carefully landed. He was ushered out harshly and nearly dragged inside. However, he kept upright and walked as quickly as they did. He was taken deep inside and up to the fifth floor. They took him to a white room with a large mirror and shoved him inside.

"Sit, and don't move from this spot," Smoker said, forcing him to sit within a metal chair in front of a metal table. He then left, shutting the door behind him.

Luffy looked about at the sterile and nearly empty room, besides the couple pieces of furniture and frowned. He then glanced up to the mirror, seeing the bright and backward D shining back at him again. He sighed and just waited for what was to happen to him. He hoped they would still let him live after they questioned him.

After perhaps half an hour passed, he looked towards the door, when he thought he heard something. The door once again opened, and two women stepped inside; one with long black hair and blue eyes, and another with bright orange hair and brown eyes. Both were wearing matching white uniform suits fit tightly to their bodies with pencil skirts, tight jackets and green arm bands.

Both looked at him cautiously and warily as they moved to sit hesitantly within the two chairs across from him. He gazed back at them with wide curious eyes, which made their own curiosity to show through.

"Are you the interrogators?" Luffy asked suddenly in a voice the two women were not expecting. His voice was calm, not harsh at all or impatient, and it was not even deep. He actually sounded rather kind. "If you are, you don't have to interrogate me. I'll tell you everything. That's why I'm here."

The orange haired woman cleared her throat and nodded. "That's right. We're Intel-Guards. My name is Nami, and this is Robin," she said, motioning to herself first, and then to Robin.

When they introduced themselves calmly without insulting him or looking at him hatefully, Luffy smiled to them brightly in pleasure and said, "It's nice to meet you, Nami and Robin! I'm Luffy! Ah... Luffy... D. Monkey." He looked a little unsure about mentioning the D within his name and even lost his smile.

Both women's eyes widened to him confirming he really was a D, but also to the bright smile he had, as well as the manners he was displaying. Robin chuckled and said, "Yes, it's very nice to meet you, Luffy." 

Luffy's bright smile returned, looking very pleased, that _she _was pleased to meeting him. Nami frowned slightly, to Robin, but then she looked back to the small young man. Clearing her throat again, she then said, "So, you said you would tell us everything. Can you tell us why you're here?"

"Of course," he said immediately with a nod. " I'm a lawman on the surface, and I'm here because one of our own broke out of prison yesterday."

"A lawman?" Robin asked, looking very interested by this.

"But... if he was one of your own, why are you here? What does it have to do with us?" Nami asked him curiously.

"Because it was a sky dweller-Ah, excuse me!" he immediately said and his eyes widened, looking slightly embarrassed. "S-Sorry, that... that's how we refer to you as. I mean... it was one of yours who broke him out."

"What?" Nami asked frowning deeply, though her eyes went wide.

"I don't understand," Robin whispered, looking just as shocked, but then she asked, "But why are you here?" 

"Because he brought him up here," Luffy said and both women gasped.

"That's not possible," Nami said and shook her head. 

"Well, that's what happened, whether you believe it or not. I gave chase, because Teach is my responsibility, and he being brought here can't be good. Teach specializes in explosives," Luffy explained with a frown, making both women's eyes to grow even wider.

"Explosives!?" Nami exclaimed, looking very concerned.

"That's right," Luffy replied and nodded. "We had to warn you. We don't know exactly why this man wanted Teach, but if it's for his expertise, than your people are in danger. Please, you have to help me find him! Look, I have an image of both!" he said and quickly reached into his pocket, but the door suddenly burst open.

"Hold it, carrier!" Smoker said, aiming some sort of weapon at him with a small current of electricity sparking at its front.

Luffy looked over to the man with huge eyes and froze within his seat. "Wait, it's all right, Battle-Guard Smoker," Nami said and quickly stood, though her heart was pounding from the fear which spiked when the carrier had reached into his pocket.

Smoker gave a grunt and came forward, forcing Luffy's hand out of his pocket, but within it was a device. He took it from Luffy and studied it. "Please, allow me," Robin said as she stood and took the device from Smoker. She then pushed a button, and an image came up. "It's an outdated hologram projector. It seems they picked up our technology when we left," she explained, but slowly began to frown and said, "I know this man…"

Nami also stood to look and said, "Wait, isn't that Enel?"

"Ah, so you do know him!" Luffy said and began to smile. "If you hit back, there is also an image of Teach!"

Robin hit back, and another image showed another man; a large man with a crooked smile and missing teeth. "Oh my," Robin whispered as she gazed back at the horrid smile of the man on the image.

"Please, will you help me find Teach before he does something bad?" Luffy asked and tilted his head to the side.

"I don't understand… Enel is a well-known business man. I believe he deals in real estate. What could he possible want with a carrier?" Nami asked with a deep frown in concern.

"And one, who specializes in explosives," Robin replied quietly, deep in thought. She then looked up at Luffy, finding his large, inquisitive eyes fascinating. He was not at all like the savage men she studied for so long. He seemed so kind, not angry or brutal, and he was a lot smaller than she would have expected. Was he perhaps one of the weaker of his race? She then smiled to him and said, "We will have to speak with our superiors. While we do that, why don't you have something to eat and get some rest? You will be awakened when we have answers for you."

Luffy stared back at her, but then he nodded in satisfaction. This would have to do. "I understand. Thank you, I really appreciate it, and that you didn't kill me before talking to me."

"Oh my," Robin said as she pressed a hand to her cheek. "Yes, I suppose you might have feared that. It has been quite some time, since our kind met face to face, and there are still some who hate your kind."

Luffy frowned softly and nodded slowly, but then he said, "I was born after the wars. I don't know much about it, but I don't hate you. My people started the wars, after all."

"You're damn right, you did!" Smoker grunted, but Robin looked over to him quickly.

"_They_ did," she corrected and smiled to him. "Luffy just said he was born after the wars. How could he have possibly been a part of the start of the wars?"

Smoker grunted as he regarded the woman, but then he just scoffed and turned to leave, muttering under his breath. Nami sighed as she watched Smoker, but then she turned back to Luffy and said, "Will you follow us?"

"Of course," Luffy said with a nod and stood to follow them out. Other guards followed as well, just to make sure he did not cause trouble. They headed down to the second floor, and then Luffy was lead to a small room with a single bed and tiny table and a chair inside.

"A meal and some water will be brought to you shortly. Please rest, while the information you've given to us is reviewed," Robin said and smiled to him kindly.

"Thank you, Robin," Luffy said and smiled to her brightly before heading inside and sitting on the bed. He really was tired, and the bed was very comfortable, at least, more comfortable than what he was used to.

As the door was closed, Nami just frowned inside at him until she could no longer see him. She then turned and headed back with Robin, so that both could speak to their superiors. "What do you think?" she asked Robin beside her.

"I believe he has no reason to lie. He seemed like a very amiable young man," Robin said and chuckled.

"You shouldn't be so friendly with him, Robin. He's a carrier, after all. History says they were all the same, violent, brutal and savage. There were accounts of them tearing a human man apart with their bare hands. We even know of some personally. We can't take him lightly. We'll just pass on this information. They will most likely conduct a search without his assistance, but who knows what they will actually do to him," Nami said and sighed deeply.

Robin hummed in agreement with a nod and said, "Yes, they most likely will, but I did not sense any malicious intent within him. He genuinely seemed friendly, and he had such big eyes, which held trust. Since we did not kill him, he is putting his trust in us. I did not see any suspicions at all. What an intriguing carrier."

Nami just hummed and kept her frown. It was still strange to her that one of these savage men risked his own life to actually warn them about this threat. History told a different story about them. They murdered and destroyed. They did not protect, not even their own kind. Was that really all it was, or was there something to this? Was this man, Luffy, a threat to them as well? She supposed only time would tell.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Suspicious Nami… ._. So, finally, Nami has appeared! xD A wild Nami appears… Lawl! Stay tuned for the next chapter. xD


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the last post. I got my haircut today. :3 Anyways, here's chapter 7! Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 7**

The sound of his cell door opening woke Luffy up instantly. He sat up quickly on alert and looked to one of those guards coming inside. "Uh, did your superiors decide already-Ah!" he said, but was immediately yanked to his feet.

"Nope, come on, let's go! Out of your cell," Morgan said, holding his arm in a tight grip with his metal hand.

Grunting to the painful grip, Luffy just frowned softly in some concern as he was dragged out and down the hall. He was taken to the elevator and then up to the third floor. "What… What's going on?" Luffy asked, frowning deeper as he looked to the man over his shoulder, but then sucked in his breath when he was shoved into the middle of a room. Tripping up, he fell to his hands and knees and then slowly looked up. There were men surrounding him on all sides, each wearing matching white uniform suits with red arm bands, though unlike the women, the trousers and jackets were not as form-fitting, and the jackets were longer. However, one of the men wore the same white uniform, only his arm bands were blue. Luffy looked around to all of them, but up at the large blonde man from before. "Why am I here?" he asked, looking a bit more concerned.

"Are you sure he's a D? I mean, just look at him. He's a fuckin' runt," a green haired man with three earrings within his left ear said and quirked a brow at Luffy.

Luffy instantly frowned deeper and looked over to the green haired man. "Yes, I'm sure. He even said so himself, and the monitors showed his DNA. He's a carrier all right," Morgan said and shoved his foot into Luffy's rear, so that his face slammed into the mats.

Grunting, Luffy frowned even deeper, looking even more concerned. Why had they brought him there? "What do you want?" Luffy asked and looked up at Morgan as he sat up on his knees.

"You see all these men?" Morgan said, motioning his arm all around the room. "They're all Battle-Guards, just like me."

"Well, not me," one of them said with dark hair, droopy eyes with a patch of beard on his chin, long side burns and two sets of earrings in his ears. He was also the one with the blue arm bands. He chuckled deeply and said, "I'm just a Med-Guard."

"But you're about as strong as any of us, Law," the green haired man said with a smirk, but then he looked over to Luffy again. 

"He really doesn't look like much," another blonde man said, though part of his hair covered his eye. He then quirked his curled brow as he took a puff from his cigarette.

"Well, let's see what this carrier can do," the green haired man said with a smirk.

"On your feet, carrier," Morgan said as he forced Luffy up to his feet. He then tapped a piece of metal to his shackles, and they came right off, all except the collar. "Make any sudden movements and your collar will fry you before you can take a step, we clear?"

"Yeah," Luffy muttered with a frown as he rubbed over his sore wrists. "What do you want with me?"

"We just want to see if the rumors were true, but I guess we won't get much out of a little weakling like you," Morgan said and smirked wider.

"Weakling?" Luffy growled, his temper beginning to rise.

"That's right, boy… Get angry," Morgan growled out as well and then hit Luffy with his metal arm.

Luffy grunted loudly as he flew to the side and hit the ground hard. He rolled over once and shook his head. "Come on, you savage carrier. Come at us," Morgan said as a group of some of the men surrounded Luffy. "Get up and fight back!" Morgan cried and lunged for Luffy, the other men following.

Luffy kicked up to his feet instantly and gave them what they wanted. He dodged their attacks easily, shoved, punched and kicked them away. They all only got back up and came back at him again. For several minutes this went on, but only a few could even touch Luffy. Finally, tired and hurt, the men finally stayed down.

Morgan growled as he looked up at Luffy, who looked relatively unharmed, and he did not even look tired. Scoffing at this, Morgan stood up and said, "It took you forever to take us all done, and your punches and kicks didn't even hurt!"

"What are you taking about?" Law said, staring back at Morgan slightly appalled.

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" Morgan asked, glaring back at Law.

The blonde one eyed man chuckled deeply and said, "Yes, what he said." He looked amused as he nodded to Law, but kept his eyes on Morgan.

Then green haired man also laughed and said, "I think what they're trying to say, Morgan, is that the carrier went easy on you."

"What!?" Morgan exclaimed angrily as he looked to all three men before looking at Luffy.

Luffy also looked to all three men with wide, surprised eyed. They could tell? He had gone easy on then, because he had not wanted to hurt or anger them. He had mostly defended himself and even let them get a few hits in.

As if reading his mind, Law shook his head and said, "He even let you get a few hits in strategically, so as to suffer as little damage as possible. He didn't let you hit any vital points."

"He also didn't move as quickly as he possible can and read every single one of your moves before you even made it. That was pathetic," the blonde one eye said, gazing at Morgan with boredom and disgust.

"He also merely dodge your attacks and the tiny jabs and kicks he dealt only held enough damage to keep you away from him. I agree with one eye, that really was a pathetic display, making the rest of us look bad," the green haired man said, also looking disgusted.

"Why you..." Morgan growled, looking furious.

Luffy burst into laughter and said, "That was so cool! You three must be really strong!"

"Care to have a go at us, carrier?" green hair asked with a smirk.

"Shishishi! My name is Luffy! What's yours?" Luffy asked, grinning back at him.

Zoro smirked more lazily and said, "Zoro Roronoa."

"It's nice to meet you, Zoro!" he said and then looked to the blonde. "And you?"

The blonde man smiled, bowing elegant as he folded an arm over his front and said, "The name is Sanji. It's a pleasure, Luffy."

"Shishishi, the pleasure is mine! It's nice to meet you too, Law!" Luffy said, grinning wider in his happiness as he also looked to Law, who smiled.

"Pleasure!?" Morgan exclaimed, looking almost offended. "Are you fucking serious!? Have you forgotten what this savage is?"

"Savage?" Sanji asked calmly as he lit another cigarette. "He doesn't seem savagely to me. Are you just upset he went easy on you?"

"Shut up, Sanji!" Morgan cried viciously.

Luffy decided to find this funny and said, "You know, you would fit right in on the surface. You sound just like them. You'd probably get along with my dad!"

Sanji, Zoro and Law snorted into amused laughter to Luffy's unintentionally and innocently referring to Morgan as a savage. Morgan, looking humiliated, scowled at them and then turned that scowl to Luffy. "You savage son of a bitch!" he yelled and ran at Luffy, only three bodies instantly blocked his path, pushing him back.

Sanji, Zoro and Law stood in his way with frowns. Zoro scoffed and said, "You've already had your chance. It's our turn now."

"Let the _real_ Guards show you how it's done," Sanji said and flicked his cigarette into him.

"So cool! You guys are really fast!" Luffy said from where he sat on the matted floor with his feet pressed together and his hands holding them. He then jumped to his feet and said, "I'll take you on!"

All three turned to him with smirks, looking eager for the match. Zoro stepped up and said, "Don't be afraid of hurting us."

"And don't hold back, because we won't," Law said, smirking wider.

"Shishi, I won't! Come, on-Come on!" Luffy said, crouching down to get into position and beckoning them with his hand.

When the three lunged towards him with unimaginable speed, Luffy sprinted forward to greet them. His palm slammed into Zoro, who reached him first, and then he kicked into Law, sending him away as well. Sanji jumped at him with a kick, and with speed and strength none had really ever seen, Luffy grabbed Sanji's leg and threw him, nearly across the room. It was clear to the other men within the room; Luffy really had gone easy on the first group.

The three did not stay down long and immediately went after Luffy again. The fight lasted several minutes, and it was brutal; even too brutal for some to watch, but the three held their own against the carrier beast, who held his own just fine against all three. The four of them looked to be enjoying themselves immensely.

However, the fun instantly ceased, when a voice called out into the room. "What in the skies is going on in here!?"

Luffy had swung, but pulled himself back, though his body was already moving forward with strong momentum. He hopped on his toes a few times, but he still toppled over, landing flat on his face. He then quickly looked up to see the same pink haired man, as well as the blonde with the long hair and weird eye visor, the white haired cigar still in mouth man and with them were Nami and Robin. The pink haired man did not look happy, and it showed with the way he had asked his question. Luffy swallowed down, just staring back at them as he sat down on the mats. He was not in trouble, was he?

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Woops! Fun's over, boys! :3 Just an introductory, lawl. Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Please stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** **Important Note: **All right so, I've been getting a lot of the same comments in your reviews, so I think it's best I go ahead and inform everyone what was said. :3 Everyone mentions they can't wait for the rest of the crew and whatnot. Well, I will tell you guys now, about half the SHs will be cameos only. They will _not_ be a main part of the story. It's far too difficult to try and give all of them a role, because there are just so many of them. It makes it seem forced and too much going on, and I really feel as if it ruins the quality of the story. I only use, who I think fits the certain roles I have planned out. Sorry, if I disappointed, but this is an AU, and not all are necessary in an AU. Anyways, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 8**

"Battle-Guard Coby," Morgan said, turning to look at him with a frown.

"Why is the prisoner out of his cell as well as his binds? He could try and escape! And why is-was… he attacking our guards?" Coby asked, looking confused, but displeased.

"Ah…" Luffy started, but then he looked over to the three, who had been sparring with him before looking over to the other five standing within the doorway, "I wasn't attacking anyone."

Nami and Robin both blinked at the carrier, who looked perfectly composed when a few moments ago, he had looked so aggressive and violent. Nami's brow even twitched from when he had fallen on his face in an attempt to stop. Zoro just laughed and said, "He wasn't attacking anyone. We asked him to spar with us. We just wanted to see how strong he really is, is all, and he was happy to oblige our wishes."

Law also chuckled and said, "And it's not his wish to escape, or he could have done so easily, even before we brought him in."

"What he said," Zoro said and thumbed to Law.

"I don't want to escape," Luffy said and shook his head as he looked from Zoro and Law to the five in the doorway again. "I need help finding Teach." He then stood up, dusting off his clothes, and then he asked, "Did you talk with your superiors? Will you help me find Teach?"

Coby frowned to them and said, "It's really dangerous to do this. What if the carrier had lost control of himself and became more aggressive? That's how carriers are. We need to be careful."

All three men just blinked back at Coby, and even Luffy did as well, though he tilted his head. Zoro glanced to Luffy and then back to Coby. "He was in perfect control of himself, and not once had he become aggressive."

"Um… I wouldn't have lost control," Luffy said with a soft frown as he scratched his cheek.

Coby frowned more deeply, though he looked more confused. He honestly did not know much about the carriers, only what they had been taught. He sighed deeply, glancing to the blonde man beside him and asked, "Helmeppo, can you summon some Med-Guards?"

"Of course," Helmeppo said and moved off to make the call.

"We don't need the Med-Guards," Zoro said with a slight purse to his lips.

"And I _am_ a Med-Guard," Law said and quirked his brow.

"Regardless, you will all be examined, as well as our prisoner," Coby said, but then he turned his head and nodded to Nami and Robin.

Taking a breath, Nami nodded and looked over to Luffy. "We _have_ discussed the situation with our superiors, and they agree that Enel will be brought in for questioning, and a search will be conducted for Teach."

Luffy's face broke into a grin, and he said, "That's great! Thanks a lot! I'll help find him!"

Robin brought a fist to her lips and cleared her throat delicately. "I apologize, but your request to assist in this investigation has been… denied."

"What?" Luffy whispered, looking greatly disappointed as he wilted in place, but then he frowned deeply and said, "But you don't understand. You can't bring Teach in by yourselves. You're going to need me!"

"I concur," Zoro replied immediately as he frowned softly to both women. "We're strong, but Luffy was able to go toe to toe with all three of us with no problem, and he hits hard. Though," he looked over to Luffy, "you still went easy on us."

"Ah!" Luffy exclaimed quickly as he turned to gape at the man, but then he clamped his jaw shut tight as he rubbed over his head. "I'm sorry… I really didn't want to hurt you."

This made both Law and Sanji burst into laughter and Zoro just smirked. He then shook his head and said, "It's all right. I suppose you might have been afraid we would have retaliated. Still, thanks for showing us your strength."

Luffy grinned with a laugh and said, "No problem!" However, he then looked back to the women and said, "I really do think I should be there and help with the search. I can track him, and I would like to be present when this Enel is questioned. I know I'm asking a lot, and I'm sorry, but it's really important we find Teach as soon as possible and before he hurts or kills anyone."

"This is ridiculous," Smoker grunted, looking very unhappy as he looked back at Luffy.

"I agree. This carrier should remain locked up forever, especially for daring to come up here," Morgan growled, still angry with Luffy.

Nami and Robin looked to Morgan and Smoker, exchanged looks, but then Nami looked over to Luffy and said, "I'm sorry, but… you've been deemed by our superiors as too dangerous to be let loose within our city. They said… one loose carrier is enough."

"Damned right, he is. They were right to make that decision," Morgan said and turned away. Zoro turned a glare on the man.

"Wha-What?" Luffy whispered, frowning more softly. "But, I'm not…" he started, but he saw no point in continuing. They were not going to trust him. He lowered his head, looking greatly concerned. "I see," he whispered so softly, that it actually tugged at both Nami and Robin's hearts. He looked so disheartened, but neither was sure as to why.

"That's bullshit," Zoro said and frowned deeply.

"I agree with the moss head," Sanji said, frowning softly to the women, but then he smiled to the women and said, "Of course, just what the superiors said, not to what you fine and beautiful ladies said."

"It's the same damn thing," Zoro said and gave him a shove, but then he looked over to the women. "Look, it's our jobs to protect the people. This man, carrier or not, is a lawman back on the surface. It's also his job to protect. It's been nearly half a decade. Who's to say the carriers haven't change? I'm telling you, he was in perfect control. I didn't sense any malice or danger from him."

"And neither did I. We wouldn't have brought him up here and unshackled him if we actually thought he was a danger," Law said, also frowning softly at them.

Luffy fidgeted where he stood, though what they said made him happy. However, he cleared his throat and said, "Actually," he shifted his eyes to the side, "they haven't changed much at all. We became lawmen to try and keep the fighting down. My family and I are strong, and so we try our best to keep the peace. It's a shame, really. I honestly believe my kind could be so much more, if they allowed themselves to be. Well, I think there are some, who are not as aggressive, like my uncle Roger-Well, he's not really my uncle, but I consider him as one. I always looked up to him. Ace, his son, and my brother-well, not my real brother-is a lot like his father-Well, kind of. He's my best friend."

Everyone gaped back at him in some surprise. He could have lied and said his kind was better to help him gain what he wanted, but instead, he had chosen honesty. Robin smiled softly to the young man, and then she smiled more brightly. "It sounds as if you have a wonderful family."

Looking up at her, Luffy smiled brightly with a nod and said, "Yeah! We try our best for everyone, and for the most part, they're cooperative, but not always. It's not so bad, I guess. There are fights, which break out, but no more wars. When Teach began blowing things up, we defeated him and locked him up within the prison you all created. There are a few, who are overly aggressive and who killed many, which we have locked up in there."

"Look, one thing is for sure. There's no way we can take this dangerous carrier down on our own. We're going to need Luffy's assistance, whether they like it or not, and we don't have time to be arguing about this. They could already be planning to hurt people," Zoro said as he crossed his arms and frowned at them deeply.

"Yes, time is important, which is why I came up here immediately," Luffy said, frowning softly again in his concern.

Nami sighed deeply as she glanced over to Robin, but then she nodded as she looked back to Luffy and said, "We'll speak to our superiors again and see what we can do. Battle-Guards Zoro, Sanji and Med-Guard Law, you may want to join us, so that you may give our superiors your assessment of Luffy and the situation."

"Gladly," Zoro said and nodded his head.

"Ah, excuse me," a small man with light brown hair and blues eyes called from behind the five within the doorway. "You called for a Med-Guard?"

"Med-Guard Chopper, please, see to these three as well as our… guest," Coby said, motioning to Zoro, Law and Sanji as well as Luffy.

"Yes sir," Chopper said with a nod of his head, and then he moved to inspect each one. However, when he came to Luffy, he looked a bit more skittish.

Luffy smiled to him and said, "It's nice to meet you, Chopper."

"Um," Chopper whispered, glancing up at him warily, "it's… nice to meet you as well… um…"

"I'm Luffy!" Luffy said and snickered.

"Oh, it's… nice to meet you, Luffy," Chopper said, slowly beginning to relax as he examined him, but then he frowned softly as he looked to Coby and said, "Ah, they're fine, Battle-Guard Coby. No major injuries… and only minor bruising."

"I told you we were fine. Come on, let's go talk with the big dogs," Zoro said, and then he looked over to Luffy. "Don't worry. We'll get them to agree. I agree that these men must be found and stopped before they hurt anyone."

Luffy smiled and nodded to him. "Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Come, and I will escort you back to your cell," Coby said, motioning for Luffy to follow him.

"All right," Luffy said as he headed over to Coby and smiled to him. "It's nice to meet you, Coby."

"Um… it… it's nice to meet you as well… uh… Luffy," Coby said and turned to head to the elevator to take him back to the second floor. Everyone else headed to the second elevator to head up and Luffy glanced over to them all, catching the brown eyes within the group. He blinked back at her, but then offered her a grin before disappearing within the elevator.

Nami blinked, feeling her cheeks flushing, but then she stepped into the elevator with the others. He was most definitely nothing like any of them had expected. She then just sighed and leaned against the back wall as she closed her eyes.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Lawl, poor Luffy. They just be hatin'. xD Yes, yes, this was Chopper's cameo. xD Not sure if he will come up again or not. It just depends on what I think of later. xD I already have some things planned out, and I have nearly 13 chapters completed. :3 It'll be awesome sauce. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Hmm, I got nothin' to say this time. It happens. Enjoy this chapter. :3

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 9**

Since he had nothing else to do and he had quickly become bored, Luffy had gone back to sleep. However, what woke him this time was not the door opening, but instead a knock. Blinking his groggy eyes open, Luffy looked about in his disorientation, wondering where he was, and then the knock came again, only a voice followed.

"Luffy, are you all right?" 

Luffy blinked to the female voice, but then his memory rushed back to him. "Oh, Nami... Right-Um, yes I'm fine. Sorry, I was... asleep," he called back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

The door slid open and Nami stood within the doorway with a tray. Behind her were Zoro, Sanji and Law. "We brought you some lunch. Are you hungry?" Nami asked, bringing in the tray to set on the table.

"Starving!" Luffy said with a grin as he quickly stood to go to the table, startling Nami and making her gasp. She took a step back and looked up at him with fear and uncertainty in her big, brown eyes.

Luffy instantly halted and looked at her. He was standing very close to her, and she seemed paralyzed in her fear and uncertainty. Frowning to her softly, Luffy took steps back from her and muttered quietly, "Sorry..." Were they really that afraid of his kind?

"It's all right, Nami," Zoro called to her from outside the cell. "Come on and let him eat."

Feeling her cheeks heat with embarrassment, she frowned and just turned to leave. "It's all right, Ms. Nami," Sanji said soothingly and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She just nodded and stood beside them.

Keeping the soft frown, though he looked a little sad, Luffy then slowly moved to sit at the table and ate quietly. Nami gazed in at him, noting his look and behavior. Had she dampened his spirits? She bit into her lip and lowered her head.

"After you eat, we've got somethin' to tell you," Zoro said and smirked softly.

Looking up from his food, Luffy perked slightly and offered a small smile. "Oh?" he asked, looking curious.

"Yup, but you have to eat first," Sanji said and chuckled. 

This made Luffy's smile brighten once again. "Okay!" he said and began to eat faster and more jovially.

Nami glanced in at him, looking much happier; about as happy as he had looked when she said she had brought him food. The embarrassment returned about how she had reacted. She had not expected to have reacted in such a way, but when he had moved so quickly towards her, she had been so startled and frozen. She knew about their, brutality and violent nature, but this man seemed so... sunny and curious. He seemed to have complete control of his natural nature.

Scraping up the last bit to eat, Luffy set his utensil down and turned to them. "Okay, what have you got to tell me?" he asked with a smile and grabbed his tray to hold out to them.

This time, Zoro stepped in to take it and said, "Our superiors have agreed to allow you to assist us in the investigation."

"What? Really? That's great!" Luffy said, looking very happy and excited.

"There is a catch, though," Law said, leaning against the wall outside as he looked in at Luffy.

"A catch?" Luffy asked with a frown as he looked to each face. "What catch?"

Nami sighed softly and said, "You are to remain under our custody. You are free to move about, as long as the four of us are with you at all times, and instead of remaining within this cell, you will be staying in my home. These three will also be there to… to guard you. The collar you wear will be limited to my apartment, when we're there. If you try to leave, it will electrocute you. If you are too far away from us, it will electrocute you, and if you lose control of yourself, it will electrocute you. Do you understand?"

Sighing slowly and deeply, Luffy nodded his head and muttered, "I understand. As long as I can find Teach, it doesn't matter."

Nami nodded slowly and said, "Come with us, then."

Luffy nodded as well and followed them all out. As they exited the building, Luffy immediately looked all around him, his eyes eager and wide in awe. There were so many more people about, so many more flying vehicles within the air and on the streets. When he spied all the different robots, his lips curved into a smile, and he began to laugh.

"This is so amazing!" he cried out of the blue, causing Nami to jump and looked back at him.

"What is?" she asked, beginning to frown.

"Everything!" Luffy exclaimed with such enthusiasm, though his loud voice drew attention to everyone about.

Many gasped, even some crying out when they spied the mark on his collar. There were whispers about, but the one that stood out most was the whispers of D. Luffy immediately looked to them all, but began to lose his smile when he saw the looks on their faces; some with disgust and others with fear. They then began calling out to him with insults and hateful words. Some even picking up trash from within one of the robot's bin and throwing it at him. Clamping his jaw shut, he winced and just lowered his eyes.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sanji called, moving quickly to block off Luffy from them.

"Come on," Zoro called quietly and quickly led him to where many vehicles were parked.

Nami unlocked one and got into the driver's side as quickly as possible, while Law got into the passenger's. Zoro let Luffy in first and then got in behind him, while Sanji took the other side. Everyone was silent as Nami flew them up and headed out with the other vehicles. Luffy looked out of the window on Zoro's side towards the Guard Headquarter. The people were still there, yelling up at them as they flew away. He sighed deeply, but then looked all about him.

"Sorry about that," Sanji muttered, also looked down at the crowd of people, but Luffy just shook his head.

Taking in a deep breath, Lufy then asked, "How did you get them to agree to allow me to leave my cell and to be able to assist in this investigation?"

"We told them the truth," Sanji said and gave a shrug.

"We told them that if you didn't want to be held there, that you could have escaped. They know it's true. We were never able to actually take any of you prisoner during the wars," Zoro said and chuckled, finding this amusing for some reason.

Luffy had to chuckle to this as well and said, "They also said you had to be with me at all times though, right?"

"That was a part of the deal, yes," Sanji said and nodded his head.

"Oh… sorry about that," Luffy said and frowned, feeling like a burden.

"Don't be. We volunteered," Law said and smirked towards his window where he was looking out at.

"You volunteered?" Luffy asked, looking at all of them.

"Well, Nami and Robin are responsible for this investigation, so that is why Nami's responsible for you. However, in order for them to allow you out and to assist her with it, we had to be with you. At least, _that_ was the deal we made with them to make them feel better," Zoro said and had to scoff. "They're afraid of you."

"But you're not," Luffy stated as he looked towards Zoro.

"I have no reason to be. You have no intention of hurting us. It's this Teach I'm worried about, and he looks like a big guy," Zoro said, beginning to frown.

"Yeah," Luffy said and also frowned as he looked back out of the window. "Teach is strong, and then he has his knowledge of explosives. He's dangerous. I'll try my best."

"But you're strong too," Law said and glanced back at him.

"Ah, well, yes," Luffy said and fidgeted slightly as he shifted his eyes away.

"What's with that look?" Sanji asked and quirked his one visible brow at him.

"Well," Luffy said and cleared his throat, "I'm strong, but… not as strong as Teach, and actually, I'm the weakest one of the lawmen, though my family is far stronger than a lot of those on the surface."

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Zoro said, looking amused, "You guys sent the weakest of you to take on Teach?"

"Well, no… not exactly," Luffy said and lowered his head.

"Not exactly?" Sanji asked, looking a bit concerned.

"Like you volunteered to assist me… I… volunteered to come up here. My family was ready to give up, since it was forbidden to come up here. They were going to let you worry about it, but I couldn't allow that. If I hadn't come, many of you would have been hurt or killed before you even realized Teach was a threat. Teach is our responsibility, since he's one of us. I take that responsibility seriously," Luffy muttered, keeping his head lowered.

"I see," Zoro said and nodded slowly. "Then we are grateful for your concern."

"Of course," Luffy replied quietly with his own nod. "It's like you said, it's a lawman's job to protect."

All three smiled to him, and then Zoro said, "Yes it is."

Nami glanced to her mirror, seeing the carrier within it with his head lowered. She then faced forward again as they approached her building. He really was fascinating. Did he really believe all of what he just said? She still was not sure about him, even if the three with her seemed to have already made up their minds. They had the luxury to do so, since all three were so strong. She was not nearly as strong, even if she knew how to protect and defend herself, but up against this man, she would not stand a chance. And she was about to let this man within her home. Could they really trust him? Could _she_ really trust him? Or was she going to regret this?

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'aww, it's okay, Nami! You can trust him! D: Lawl, I'm kidding. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know it's going a bit slow, but it's necessary. xD Please stayed tuned for the next chapter! :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** D'aww, so did you guys not enjoy chapter 9? D: Because I only got 3 reviews for it. What a downer… I guess it was kind of an in between chapter. _-_ Sorry… There may be a few of those, but they're necessary. Okay so, I am up to chapter 18 already, and I already know what I'm going to write for chapter 19. So exciting. :3 So far, chapters 15, 16 and 17 are my favorites. I'm telling you, so you can anticipate them and to tease you a bit, lawl! I'm not evil for nothing. Buwahahaha! xD Anyways, I won't keep you! Enjoy chapter 10!

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 10**

As soon as they entered within Nami's apartment, Luffy looked around in awe. Her apartment was beautiful. He saw lit up shelves within the living room to his left, near the fireplace, which housed many glass figures and sculptures of varying colors, sizes and shapes as well as vases. The cream colored couch curved in a half circle and took up half of its area in front of the fireplace. Above the fireplace was a massive rectangular abstract painting. In front of the couch was a glass coffee table, shading in a sort of light green color, and the base itself was glass in a twirled design.

Opposite the couch and flanking both sides of the fireplace were two matching light blue, plush living chairs with a matching end table to the coffee table beside one of the chairs, and a glass lamp a top it. On the other side of the other chair and near the couch was an elaborate floor lamp, which nearly reached the ceiling with strings of hanging glass crystals. Then beneath it all was a shaggy white rug in an abstract shape over a reflective grey stone floor.

He then looked straight ahead to a glass topped dining table with metal chairs, also shaped in an art form in front of a massive window, which took up the entire back wall. The cushions within each chair were a cream color, which all the colors within the room tied together very nicely. There was also an elaborate metal ringed chandelier with those same hanging glass crystals above the table. He then looked to the right side of the large room to a pure white kitchen with cabinets and counters made with the same glossy white plastic as the walls, and the bottom and wall cabinets were lined with back lit lights on the bottom of them.

It was all one big, completely open and spacious room. Everything looked so neat and clean; so pristine. As he looked again towards the dining room and to the large back window, he could see the flying cars zooming past, since they were on a high up floor; floor sixteen, if he remembered correctly. There was not even a hint of disrepair within the place; no crumbling paint or walls, and definitely no insects.

"Wow… You have… a very beautiful home, Nami," Luffy said in nearly a whisper in his awe.

Feeling her cheeks flushing, Nami nodded, feeling pride for her home and replied just as quietly, "Thank you." She then turned and said, "I'll show you which room you will be sharing with Zoro."

Luffy just nodded and followed after her, though his eyes were soaking it all in; all the paintings on the walls, the sculptures and even plants. It was all so beautifully decorated. She led them down a hall and a door slid open to a room she paused in front of. She then walked in, pressing her fingers to an illuminated circle over the wall as she went, which made a low pitched beeping sound, but Luffy paused. The room was completely empty, and like the previous main room, one wall was one big window.

However, she moved to a side wall and pushed into another imprinted circle high up within the white, shiny, plastic looking wall, which made the same beeping sound as the light. She then moved her hand down and pushed into another. As she stepped back, two rectangular shapes began to open, revealing two beds, one over the other. Which under the top bed, she unfolded two metal legs, which clicked into the lower one for better support, and then she did the same for the bottom bed. She then pulled out a small ladder from the top bed, which connected to the bottom one.

"They're bunk beds, and if you need, Zoro," Nami said, moving to the opposite wall and pushing into another circle, which made the same sound, and a flat surface opened up. She also pushed her toe within a circle on the floor, and up unfolded a chair, "a desk. Then over here," she moved to another circle, which she pushed, and a door slid open, "is a closet. We can stop by each of your homes to retrieve necessary things for you."

"Thanks, Nami," Zoro said and nodded his head.

"Wow, this is so amazing!" Luffy said, looking around quickly at all the furniture which suddenly appeared.

"Also, it can get pretty bright outside," Nami said and pushed a button near the window, which lowered some metal blinds to block the entire window.

"That will come in handy. Thanks," Zoro said and nodded.

This made Luffy frown. He really liked the view outside, but he would not argue it. "There's a similar room here," Nami said, motioning to Law and Sanji to follow her. The three left, but Luffy remained within the room with Zoro.

Moving to the window, Luffy pushed the button to allow the blinds to retract. He then gazed out and just felt so in awe. Everything was so amazing. He wanted to live in a place just like this. The sky dwellers really were so amazing. As he looked up, he blinked at a massive billboard above the opposite building of a grinning man with light blue hair and a metal nose.

Tilting his head to the side, Luffy pointed and asked, "Who is that?"

"Hmm?" Zoro asked and moved to stand beside him. "Ah, that's Franky," he said and pointed down far below and said, "See all those robots? He invented them. There is a lot he invented together with Vegapunk. It was possible for us to build these sky cities because of them. All the glass you see was made within the clouds during lightning storms, all from their ideas. There are stations below and beside the ground floor with metal rods. Inside holds sand we collected, which is how the glass is made. It's all a complicated procedure."

"Ah! I remember those! We nearly crashed into some on the way up here!" Luffy said and snickered in amusement.

Zoro chuckled as well and said, "I'm glad you didn't. You probably would have died instantly."

"Shishishi, me too!" Luffy said as he laughed.

"There are also machines within the ground floor which produces conditions for the clouds to form, which keeps us hidden-Ah… well, from you. They figured, out of sight, out of mind," Zoro said and shrugged.

Luffy snickered and said, "Well, we can still see the glass bridges connecting all of the cities. I would always look up at them and wonder what it was like up here. It's amazing to actually and finally get to see it all for myself!" He then looked about and said, "There's also so much metal. How did you come across so much, since you don't spend a lot of time on the surface?"

"Well, we gather what we can, and Franky and Vegapunk figured out a way to synthesize it, along with plastics and some stone. They're geniuses and we owe a lot of our livelihood to them," Zoro explained as he gazed up at the billboard.

"They sound amazing," Luffy whispered, also gazing up at the billboard in awe.

"Yeah, they are. Vegapunk is the one, who invented all these flying vehicles, and Franky improved them. They work together very well," Zoro said and nodded, but then he turned to smile at Luffy. "Maybe we'll get a chance to show it all to you."

"That would be… even more amazing," Luffy whispered, his eyes huge and awestruck, but then he slowly frowned, "but we have to find Teach… That… That comes first…"

Zoro's lips quirked into a smirk as he regarded the other man. It looked as if it pained the young man to say that. Well, at least he understood his priorities, even if he was very eager to explore the city. "Naturally," he said and chuckled with a wider smirk.

"Luffy," Nami called from within the doorway, making both men turn to look at her over their shoulders.

"Yes?" Luffy asked as he turned to her fully.

"We brought you here first to allow you to bathe, and I have a uniform you are required to wear while in our custody," Nami said, and that was when Luffy noticed the bag she was holding up by a hook.

Luffy nodded his head slowly and headed over to her with Zoro behind him. She then turned and led him to another door, which slid open to reveal a large and very nice bathroom. There was a large oval tub in the middle, and a large glass walled shower against the wall. Along the wall next to the door were dual glass bowled sinks over stone counters, with a large mirror before them and matching faucets which came out of the mirror. To the side was another door, which he assumed led to the toilet. Along the walls were different shades of small turquoise, glass tiles and the floor looked like the same reflective grey stone floor as all the rest of the apartment.

"Here, I'll show you how to turn on the shower," Nami said, stepping in and opening the glass door of the shower to reach her arm in. Luffy followed and watched as she pushed into the wall with those same circles lining along the wall. She then touched her finger to the circle and slid her finger along it. The circle lit up red where her finger slid over, and then she did the same to the other, but this one lit up blue. "This is how you set the temperature. Just keep sliding your finger along the circles until you get the temperature you want. Push them again to turn them off."

"Ooh, that's really neat! Thanks, Nami!" Luffy said and smiled brightly.

He then stepped back, so she could head out, but she hung the garment bag on a hook connected to the tiled wall next to a towel rack before she left. Once the door slid closed, he removed his clothes and stepped into the shower. He adjusted the temperature to his liking and bathed himself quickly with the soaps within. As he rinsed off, he reached up to the collar still around his neck, but did not touch it. He just sighed and pushed into the circles to shut off the water.

After drying himself, he unzipped the garment bag and blinked to the uniform inside. It was the same white uniform they wore with the matching boots, except the arm bands were orange; the same orange color the prisoners back home wore. Frowning softly to this, he sighed and just dressed himself in the uniform. Leaving the bathroom, he looked to the side, seeing Zoro standing guard.

Pushing off the wall, Zoro looked over to him and asked, "You ready?"

"Yes," Luffy replied quietly, keeping the soft frown, but then he followed Zoro to the main room.

Seeing them approach, Nami stood up from where she sat on one of the plush living chairs and asked, "Are we ready to go then?"

"Yes, we're ready," Zoro replied with a nod.

"Good, let's head out then," Law said as he also stood up from the couch.

"We can do some investigating before heading out to retrieve your things. We will stop at Enel's office building to ask them some questions, and maybe he will be there," Nami said as she moved to leave with the others following.

"Good, the sooner we can find Teach… the better," Luffy said as he left with them with Zoro behind him.

He was now more eager to find Teach with the promise of getting to see more of the city. He was very excited! With that thought in mind, his thoughts then wondered to his family still below, monitoring their heart rates, and then in thinking that, Ace came to mind. Was Ace doing okay? He had not heard from them about catching another of his kind, so it seemed Ace was doing a good job about hiding. He wondered if he had figured anything out about Teach yet. He really hoped they found Teach soon before anyone got hurt.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Le hmm… So, what did you think of this chapter? :) You know, if didn't come out quite as rough as I had first intended, and I think it's because I ended up becoming more inspired by the light and fluffy futuristic sounding songs, instead of the rock songs. -_- That's all right, because I really like how it's coming out so far. xD And it's weird, because normally, once I use a song to inspire an idea or story, I normally can't use it again. However, the Oblivion song is inspiring this one as well, and I've already forgotten how it inspired me for _Faceless Mask_. This has never happened before! O.O I am amazed… Anyways, hope you guys are still enjoying! Stay tuned for the next chapter. Also, I think I will post two today… Don't get your hopes up…


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I decided to post two chapters, mostly because I'm not as evil as I claim to be, but you better review both chapters, or I will skip a day of posting! I'll do it! D: Don't test me! Naw, I'm just kidding… If you don't want to review… I… I won't make you… but no promises you won't make me cry like a little girl… ;_; Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapters, it's also one of my favorites, and just maybe some of you will understand why. :3 Enjoy!

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 11**

As soon as they stepped within Enel's building of business, Luffy's eyes widened as he looked all around, but his eyes focused on the large glass sculpture as well as the thin metal ring which circled around it with metal strings of glass crystals raining down around it as well as the light that shined over it. Everything all around him was just so amazing and beautiful.

"Ah, there is Robin," Sanji said and smiled to the woman, who was sitting within a chair.

As soon as she heard his voice, Robin looked over with a smile and stood to greet them. However, her eyes instantly went to Luffy. "It's nice to see you again, Luffy. You're looking bright."

Grinning to the woman and looking bright, indeed, Luffy snickered and said, "It's nice to see you too, Robin! Everything here is so awesome!"

"Indeed," Robin replied with a soft chuckle and smile.

"Enel's offices are on the twenty-third floor," Nami said from the side, tapping the glass display with names and locations lit up across it.

"Then let's head on up," Law said, already heading for the elevator and pushing the button to go up.

As they entered the elevator, Luffy blinked to the glass windows at the back and so headed right for it. He looked out, and his smile slowly grew as the elevator ascended upwards and to the better view he got the further up they went. He then chuckled to himself, making the other four occupants to look over their shoulders at him. Zoro just smirked lazily to the young man as his head darted from side to side, soaking it all in.

"Nice view, isn't it?" Sanji asked, coming up beside him to look out. "I suppose I always take it from granted."

"It's an amazing view. I will always remember this," Luffy replied quietly as he glanced to a much larger flying vehicle, which looked to be a sort of trash vehicle.

Sanji smiled as he glanced out and nodded his head, but then turned when the elevator dinged. Luffy slowly turned to follow, his head last to turn as he followed the others down the hall, but then blinked to the nicely decorated office they stepped into. Much like Nami's house, it was decorated with glass sculptures and the walls looked to be the reflective plastic, only it was an off white color.

A receptionist glanced up from behind her desk at them and smiled, but the moment she got a look at the collar around Luffy's neck, her smile instantly fell. Her face slowly lost color, and then she swallowed hard. "C-Can I… Can I help you, Guards?"

"Yes, we just need to ask you a few questions," Nami said as she approached the desk with Robin, and everyone else hung back, or at least, Luffy did, since the other three did.

"O-Of course," the receptionist said as she nodded to them jerkily, though her eyes kept darting to Luffy nervously. Why was this man there?

"We just needed to ask about your boss. Is he here?" Robin asked and smiled to the woman kindly.

"Mr. Enel?" the woman asked, focusing her eyes on Robin. "No, I'm afraid not. He hasn't been in since two days ago. He cleared his schedule for the rest of the week as well as next week. He said he was going on vacation."

"Vacation?" Nami muttered and glanced to Robin, who nodded. How convenient.

"And do you know where he might have gone?" Robin asked, keeping the kind smile.

"Um, well," the woman said, looking nervous, but then she finally said, "no, not really. I'm sorry."

Luffy instantly frowned to the woman. She was not telling the whole truth. She knew something, but she was not saying. Moving up next to Zoro, he clutched his shoulder gently and leaned up to whisper something to him. The other man's lips twitched a bit into a smirk, and then he nodded. Looking over to Nami and Robin, Zoro cleared his throat and called, "Nami, Robin."

Nami paused in speaking and then turned to the man with a slight frown. Usually, it was hers and Robin's job to question the people. Why was he calling to them? "Yes?"

"Why don't we let Luffy question the woman?" Zoro said, his lips quirking up on one side.

"L-Luffy?" the woman question nervously, and her voice was nearly a whisper from her sudden fear.

Nami's brows dipped down slowly, and then her eyes shifted to Luffy, who was gazing right back at her. Clearing her throat, she then looked to Robin to get her opinion, but the other woman just smiled to Luffy and said, "That is fine." She then moved back to where they were. Nami just frowned at her back, not really liking this idea, but then she also moved back to where they were.

After they passed him, Luffy moved forward towards the woman slowly, and she instantly gasped, moving her chair back. The fear was evident within her eyes as she gaped back at him, completely frozen. However, her eyes instantly moved to the five guards standing behind him. Her eyes then quickly moved back to Luffy as he moved closer, and he finally stopped just before her desk.

Staring at her with his intense and dark eyes for some time, Luffy finally asked, "What's your name?"

Nami's eyes widened. She did not recognize that voice, and she even shuddered, her arms coming around to hug herself. The amiable voice from before was gone, and in its place was a chilling, darker and much deeper voice. It was harsh, cruel even and sounded exactly how she had expected it to sound the day she had met this man. It sounded like a voice that naturally belonged to him, more so than the friendly one. It sounded like the voice of a carrier, and she did not like it. She did not like this at all.

The woman began to breathe deeper in her near terror, and her eyes remained fixed on him, as if afraid to look away. She even seemed close to tears, but was just barely holding them back. It even seemed she was too afraid to even blink. She swallowed hard and finally managed to open her mouth, though it was merely a whisper. "L-Lily."

"Lily," Luffy repeated slowly in the same low tone, and not once did he move his eyes from her. "Lily, I think there's something you need to know about me… other than what you can see," he said in nearly a whisper, but his words were no less harsh, and to the mention of it, her eyes instantly darted down to the mark on the collar, but then she lifted her eyes back to his. "I always know when someone is lying, and so I know you're not telling us the truth, or at least, there is something you know, that you're not willing to tell us. You're going to tell me what that is, do you understand?"

The woman instantly nodded. She was definitely more afraid of this man, than she was of her boss. "Okay," she whispered so softly, barely any sound came forth.

"Good," Luffy whispered much more softly, which made the woman shudder and gasp softly and slowly. "Do you know where Enel is?" he asked, losing the sharp edge to his voice, which made him sound is usual, friendly self.

"Yes," she whispered, strangely feeling herself relaxing to the sound of his voice and the less harsh look to his eyes. "Well, sort of," she added and cleared her throat. "I, um… overheard him mention something-s-somewhere, I mean while speaking to someone over his den."

"Can you please tell me where?" he asked, keeping his voice soft and calm.

She nodded her head more slowly and said, "He mentioned sector three of Heart City."

"Sector three of Heart City?" Luffy asked and turned to look to the others in question.

"It's another of our sister cities, one just next to this one. This city is called Rain City, and the one next to this one is named Heart City, because it's in the middle of all the cities; the so called heart of the cities," Robin explained, smiling softly to Luffy.

"Oh, I see," Luffy replied with a nod, but then he turned back to the woman and asked, "Did he happen to mention a man named Teach?"

"Teach?" she asked, but then slowly shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not-Oh! But, he did mention um… something about a black beard or something."

"Blackbeard?" Luffy asked quickly and frowned, but then he quickly turned to the others. "Blackbeard is what Teach called himself down on the surface. It was his nickname for his old gang."

Robin nodded instantly and said, "Then we're on the right path. We shall investigate sector three within Heart City immediately."

Luffy nodded, but then quickly turned back and reached over the desk to clasp Lily's hand between both of his. The woman immediately gasped and pulled back in surprise to the sudden action. She looked up at him and gaped. "Thank you very much, Lily! Because of you, we can find Teach quicker, and many lives will be saved!" he said, smiling for her brightly in his thanks.

Sucking in her breath slowly, her eyes widened, and a flush spread all across her cheeks and nose. She blinked up at him rapidly and whispered, "You're welcome, L-Luffy…"

Luffy laughed as he gave her hand a shake and finally let her go. He then turned to head back to the others quickly. "Let's find Teach! Ah!" he said, but then quickly turned back to Lily, making her flush intensify once again. "Also, you might want to consider finding another job. Enel isn't a very good guy."

"O-Oh," she replied, and then she finally began to smile, "th-thank you. I… I will."

Luffy snickered and then turned to leave with the others, Lily just watching them until they disappeared. Nami held a deep frown as they headed back to the elevators, and Zoro did not fail to notice it. "What?" he asked as they waited for the elevator to come.

Looking up at him with her frown, she then rolled her eyes away and said, "You know what." She sounded extremely dissatisfied.

"Come on, Nami. He was able to get her to tell the truth, and now we have a lead," Zoro said, smirking lazily to her.

"That's not the point!" she snapped at him as she stepped into the elevator.

Frowning now, Luffy looked between them and asked, "Was what I did bad?"

"No."

"Yes!" Nami snapped at the same time as Zoro's reply, but then she huffed out and said, "No, but the poor woman was terrified of you!"

Frowning more softly, Luffy lowered his head and turned his head away from her. He seemed to always frighten or upset this woman. Regardless of what is was, she was always unhappy about anything he did. Did she just dislike him then, like everyone else seemed to? "I'm sorry," he muttered and sighed. "I knew she was afraid of me. I just thought… if we used that fear against her, it would get her to talk."

"And it worked. It was genius," Zoro said, now frowning at Nami.

"It was cruel!" Nami said, turning a glare at Zoro.

"I have to agree with Zoro on this one. Time is of the essence, and all Luffy did was take advantage of her fear, but you saw her. Once we left there, she was no longer afraid of him. He got her to admit she knew something, and then took a different approach to get her to talk," Law said with a lazy smirk.

Sanji growled and said, "And I have to agree with Ms. Nami. No woman should have been treated that way. We're supposed to protect, not badger!"

"He didn't badger her! He didn't even raise his voice at her! All he did was use her fear against her, but only for a short while!" Zoro said, now glaring at Sanji.

"It doesn't matter, because for that short while, the poor woman was terrified out of her mind!" Nami said, stepping up to Zoro and scowled up at him.

"W-Wait, please! I-I'm sorry! I promise I won't ever do that again!" Luffy said, holding his palms out to try and get everyone to calm down.

Nami instantly looked over to him, noting the concern etched into his features, and she slowly lost some of her frown. She then just turned away from him. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. What's done is done, and now we have the information we needed."

Luffy slowly dropped his arms, but then he sighed, feeling his shoulders droop. Robin chuckled through the silence, which had fallen over everyone and said, "I thought it was quite fascinating the way he handled it."

"Robin!" Nami exclaimed, gaping at the woman, completely appalled.

This made Zoro burst into laughter, and his laughter made Robin smile brighter. "That's three against two!" Zoro said as the elevator doors opened.

"Augh," Nami exclaimed in disgust as she quickly left the elevator first, and then the others followed, except for Luffy, who had his head lowered.

Zoro turned to look in at him and lost his smile. "You okay?" he asked, turning back to him fully and pressing his hand into the door to keep it from closing.

Luffy took a deep, slow breath and just muttered, "She doesn't like me."

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'aww, Luffy… T_T I want to huggle him… Also, as a side note, Lily was from the beginning of the Skypiea Saga during the Jaya arc. She was a member of Bellamy's crew. xD Look her up. :3 Anyways, what did you think? xD I love this chapter, hahaha! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! xD Stay tuned for the next chapter, which may or may not come tomorrow, if you don't review both chapters 10 and 11! BUWAHAHAHA! No, I'm kidding… OTL


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** All right, sorry guys, but you only get one chapter today. I may do a double post later on, but we'll see. xD You know, it's much harder to give just these few characters roles and lines, when certain ones are the more dominate. I'm trying my best, I really am, but sometimes, they kind of just remain silent in the background… I will try harder, I promise! D: Anyways, enjoy this chapter! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 12**

"Wait, what? Nojiko, slow down!" Nami said as she moved away from the others as soon as they stepped outside of Enel's building. Over her ear was a device which blinked a blue light as she spoke to her sister on the other end. "What do you mean you were picked up and taken to the Guard Headquarters? What? Blood? Wait-Okay! Nojiko, I'll be right there and clear this all up! Okay, see you soon," she said and hung up, just as Zoro and Luffy exited the building.

"What's going on?" Zoro asked with a frown as he paused beside them.

"It's Nojiko. She's at Headquarters. She was picked up from her job," Nami said and turned to look at him. "I have to go back and meet with her there. Apparently, they won't release her, and so I have to go clear this up. She said something about blood, but I don't know. Come on," she said and headed over to her vehicle. "I'm sorry about this. Hopefully, it won't take too long."

"No, it's all right. We'll see what this is about, Ms. Nami," Sanji said, looking concerned as they all got into the vehicle.

"I'll see you all there," Robin said and headed for her own vehicle.

Luffy frowned softly in confusion, but then he sighed silently. They were so close to finding Teach, but he would just have to be patient. This was this woman's sister, after all, and it seemed important to her. Just then, there was a beeping again and Nami reached up to push a button on the device over her ear. "Nami," she called into it and instantly frowned. "Actually, we're already on our way back now. What? Luffy? Yes, sir. We'll be there soon."

Blinking to her saying his name, he frowned even more as he tilted his head and asked, "What about me?"

"They're asking me to bring you back to Headquarters for questioning," Nami said, frowning deeply as she glanced at him through her mirror.

"Questioning?" Luffy asked and frowned deeper, but then he just nodded slowly and muttered, "I understand…"

It was not long before they were walking back into the Headquarters building, and there were some Battle-Guards already waiting. "We're to escort the prisoner to an interrogation room. Some new evidence has arisen," Smoker said and nodded to Luffy.

"New evidence?" Nami asked, but then she nodded and said, "We have some new information as well."

"Good, we can use more answers. Come on, let's go," Smoker said, motioning his head behind him and then headed off to the elevators.

"Wait, I'd like to see my sister first, if that's possible," Nami said, looking concerned about her. "She called me just before I was told to come back here. She sounded upset."

Turning to look at her, Smoker nodded and then headed deeper within the first floor and to a waiting room were other Battle-Guards and Intel-Guards were seated with Nojiko. "Nami!" Nojiko exclaimed as she quickly stood to go to her sister, wearing one of the uniformed jackets.

"Nojiko, what's going on? Are you all right?" Nami asked and hugged her sister.

"No, I am not all righ-!" Nojiko started, but instantly gasped, when she got a look at Luffy. She quickly pulled back and took a step back.

Luffy frowned to her softly and just sighed. He supposed he should get used to their reactions. Turning to look at him as well, Nami then motioned to him as she faced her sister again. "Nojiko, this is Luffy. Luffy, this is my sister, Nojiko," Nami said, looking to Luffy again.

Offering the startled woman a smile, Luffy nodded his head to her and said, "It's nice to meet you, Nojiko."

"O-Oh," Nojiko said, not sure what she had expected, but she definitely had not expected to come face to face with a carrier. "It's, um… nice to meet you… as well, L-Luffy," she said, but was staring into his eyes. They were dark and intense. Perhaps not haunting, but for some reason, she got the same feel from him and shuddered. "You-Um…"

"Nojiko, what happened? Why were you brought here?" Nami asked, looking concerned again.

Nojiko sighed deeply and said, "I was on my way to work, and somehow I got some blood on my blouse. I tried explaining to them I have no idea where it came from, but… it turns out, it's carrier blood."

"What? Carrier blood?" Nami exclaimed with wide eyes and quickly looked to Luffy.

Luffy blinked back at her and shrugged. It was not his blood. Smoker grunted and said, "This is why we asked you to bring the carrier back. He needs to be questioned."

Turning to look at Smoker, Luffy looked clueless and said, "But I don't know anything about the blood. I've been with these guys all afternoon and here all morning."

Smoker glared and said, "Yes, but you might know where it came from."

"Maybe it's Teach's?" Luffy suggested and shrugged.

"Teach? Who's Teach?" Nojiko asked, looking to Nami.

"He's… a carrier we're searching for, and Luffy is assisting us," Nami said and nodded slowly as she shifted her eyes to the side.

"Oh," Nojiko said, looking over to Luffy to gaze at him. "Listen, I really just want to go home. I hope I don't lose my job over this."

"We'll make sure to speak to your employers, Nojiko. Don't worry about that," Nami said and shook her head.

"There were several civilians marked with blood. They've all been brought in, and before they started showing up, there was an alarm that a carrier could be about, but then several alarms came up all at once. There's definitely another carrier out there, and we have no idea if it's this Teach asshole," Smoker said with an irritated huff.

Luffy quickly shifted his eyes to the side, wondering if it could possibly be Ace, instead of Teach. Ace would have needed to camouflage himself. Now perhaps with this trouble, Ace could search for Teach in peace. "Well, that definitely makes finding him more difficult. We won't be able to find him this way," Zoro said, frowning deeply.

"Indeed, which has the upper floor furious," Smoker growled as he looked over Luffy.

Nojiko kept her eyes on Luffy, noting his eyes quickly shifting to the side. He knew something, and it made her suspicious. However, she would wait until she could speak to Nami. She did not want all of these Guards hounding her with questions. She just wanted to go home. "Can I go home now?" she asked with a sigh and looked away from Luffy.

"I'll speak to upstairs," Smoker said and moved off.

"I'm sorry about this, Nojiko," Nami said and sighed softly. "I'm sure they'll let you go. You've already told them all you know."

Nojiko sighed again and muttered, "Yeah, I'm suddenly exhausted. I never even knew carriers had invaded."

"Ah, we didn't invade," Luffy said and scratched his head with a frown.

"If you say so," Nojiko muttered with a scoff. She then looked to Nami and asked, "What's going on?"

"I wish I could tell you, Nojiko," Nami said and instantly frowned. "It's being investigated though, so don't worry. We'll figure it all out."

"Right," Nojiko said, frowning deeper, but what did she really expect? This was her sister's job, and she was not allowed to speak about it to anyone outside of Headquarters.

"Upstairs said she's free to go, but the blouse remains here," Smoker said as he came back.

"Fine, you can keep it. I just want to go home," Nojiko said and pushed past everyone to get out.

Nami sighed and followed after her sister. Robin smiled to Nojiko and said, "I can take you home."

"Thanks, Robin," Nojiko said, but then turned to her sister. "You're coming, right?"

"Oh, well, we did have one more stop to make," Nami said and frowned softly to her sister.

"Wait, Nami," Nojiko said and turned to her sister. "Please come home with me."

"Nojiko," Nami said as she shook her head, "I'm sorry. I can't."

"B-But it's already way passed your shift and dinnertime! You're usually home by now!" Nojiko said, looking agitated.

"I know I am, but that's because it's usually a quiet normal day. This isn't a quiet normal day," Nami said and sighed deeply as she shifted her eyes to the side, knowing Luffy was just behind her.

"Look, how about you come home, and I'll make some dinner, and then you can go do what it was you needed to do," Nojiko said, looking desperate.

Luffy's eyes began to narrow at this woman, and then he said, before Nami could reply, "That sounds good. I'm starving."

"Wait, what?" Nami asked, looking over to Luffy in some disbelief. "Is your appetite really more important than finding this man? I thought finding this man was important to you."

"It is, but we still have to eat. Let's eat," he said, but he was staring at Nojiko, who was now staring at him.

"There's no harm in eating real quick. Let's go back to your place, Nami," Zoro said, beginning to pick up on it. Nojiko had something to say, but did not want to say it there.

"Oh… all right," Nami said with a slight frown in confusion, but then she turned to her sister. However, that was when it finally hit her. Her eyes showed knowledge, and then she nodded and said, "Okay, we'll see you at home then."

"Okay, see you at home," Nojiko said, smiling to her sister, and then she turned to leave with Robin.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Hmm, so some development… ish… Lawl, well, no LuNa development yet, which has some of you impatient, but hey… if you've ever read a romance, you know the hero and heroine don't get together until the near end! It'll get there. You can't rush love, man! D: It comes with time! … Or really awesome actions… or something… Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter. xD


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** All right, here's another chapter for you guys. Enjoy it! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 13**

Once they were all back at her home, Nami turned to her sister and asked, "Nojiko, what's going on?"

With a frown, Nojiko regarded her sister, but then she turned to head into the kitchen and opened a door. Removing some meat and vegetables, she then went about making everyone dinner. She then sighed and said, "Look, I know everyone here knows my sister well, especially since I know you all pretty well. I have to apologize ahead of time for withholding information, but I wanted to tell you first, Nami. You're the one I trust."

"Nojiko?" Nami questioned and stepped into the kitchen to help her. She grabbed some plastic gloves to put on and began seasoning the meat.

Taking a deep breath, Nojiko began to cut the vegetables and then said, "I didn't lie to them, so don't worry. I'm really not sure where the blood came from, but... there was a man, who bumped into me. There was something about him I couldn't quite put my finger on, but looking at Luffy, he had the same feel about him."

"Same feel?" Nami asked, looking slightly confused as she gazed to her sister and paused in seasoning the meats.

"Was he a big, older man with a beard, dark hair and kind of fat?" Luffy asked with slightly wider eyes.

Slowly shaking her head, Nojiko kept her had lowered and even slowed in cutting. "No," she replied quietly and finally looked up at Luffy. "He was... young, slightly bigger than you, with dark eyes and hair, and he had freckles."

"F-Freckles?" Luffy asked, and his eyes slowly shifted to the side. Why did it have to be Ace?

"Do you know him?" Nojiko asked, tilting her head and watching him carefully.

"Kn-Know him?" Luffy asked, looking a little nervous. "Why do you ask?"

"Luffy?" Nami called, beginning to frown at him. He sunk his teeth into his lower lip, and Nami quirked her brow. "Luffy," she called again more sternly. 

"It was him, wasn't it? It was his blood on my blouse, wasn't it?" Nojiko asked, also frowning at him.

Looking troubled now, Luffy shifted his eyes to them with his own concern, but then he finally said, "Look, you-you can't say anything, okay? He-He's my brother, Ace. He's a lawman, like me. He came up with me to find Teach." 

"Your brother?" Nami exclaimed, looking very displeased.

"Yes, he's not dangerous, I promise! I turned myself in, so he could remain in hiding! Teach had to be found, and we couldn't really trust you wouldn't just kill us! We know how much you hate our kind! I'm really glad you were willing to listen, but with Ace being free, I know he can track Teach faster! I can search with you, and he can search on his own! If you tell your superiors, it'll only slow him down!" Luffy said all in a quick ramble and looking afraid she would tell her superiors anyway.

"And how can we trust if you're telling the truth, if you're withholding information from us?" Nami exclaimed, looking more and more displeased. 

"We did what we had to do! Finding Teach was priority!" Luffy exclaimed, beginning to frown more deeply, but looking no less concerned. "We didn't know we could trust you, and now I know we can, but you can't tell them about Ace!"

"I have to tell them! We can't have your kind running around freely!" Nami countered, becoming angry.

"Why not? Ace would never hurt anyone!" Luffy cried, becoming angry himself and stepping forward towards her.

Both Nami and Nojiko gasped, and Nojiko reached out to clasp Nami's arm. "Nami!" she whispered in a panic, and Luffy instantly realized his mistake.

"Hey, you shouldn't be yelling at the ladies like that!" Sanji exclaimed with a deep frown, but he remained in his seat.

Taking steps back, Luffy lowered his head and just sat his butt to the floor. "I'm sorry! Don't be scared!" he said quietly and sighed. "I promise I won't hurt you, even if I get upset. On the surface, when they made me angry, I did want to hurt them, but I knew they could handle it. Even if you make me upset, I don't have that urge. I don't want to fight you."

Swallowing down hard, Nami could only blink down at him several times, but remained speechless. Nojiko, however, took a breath and her frown returned. "O-Oh, then... don't scare us like that!" she cried with a huff and moved to grab pots and pans to begin cooking.

Zoro chuckled from where the three remained calmly seated and said, "Relax, Nami. He's telling the truth. You're too weak to be a challenge for him. Some of you are forgetting history. They weren't savages, like people think. They're more like warriors. They mostly only fought those of us, who challenged them. There were only a few bad apples, who lost their control and went on a rampage. We didn't sense any danger from him. He was just angry."

Nami pursed her lips at Zoro. She had not even noticed they had not gotten up from their seats. If she had been in danger, she knew they would have. Even Robin was calmly sitting and listening with a smile on her face.

"S-Sorry," Luffy muttered and sighed. "Listen, I can't promise Ace won't fight if he's cornered. It's best to let him do his job. He won't hurt anyone if he's not made to." 

Sighing now, Nami rubbed over her forehead harshly, but then she said, "If he's not made to? Luffy, we just can't take your word for it-"

"You can," Luffy said softly, but with conviction. "I know my brother."

"Yeah? And what if a civilian angers him enough?" Nami asked, though she kept her calm.

Luffy shook his head and said, "Even if they do, he would never compromise his position or the mission."

"Well, he did bump into me this morning and didn't get all upset about it. He just looked at me... intensely," Nojiko said and shrugged. "It was kind of hot."

"Nojiko!" Nami exclaimed, completely appalled by her sister. Luffy decided to find this amusing and laughed. 

"What?" Nojiko said and frowned at her sister. "Rendered me all speechless, just from a look. I'm telling you. His eyes were so intense. I didn't even get a chance to yell at him for not excusing himself."

Luffy laughed harder and fell over onto the floor. Nojiko finally looked over to him, and her own lips twitched with amusement. "Find that funny, do you?" she said through a chuckle and threw a kitchen towel at him, which hit his face.

He continued to laugh as he pulled it off and said, "Ace would be proud of himself."

"Oh, is that so?" Nojiko asked with her brow quirking upward and her hands going to her hips. However, her amusement remained, and her plush lips curved into a smirk.

Luffy snickered and said, "Yeah!" He then sat up again and asked, "Dinner smells good. Is it ready yet? I'm hungry." 

Nojiko chuckled, looking completely relaxed and said, "Almost." She then went to grab down some plates for everyone. "Why don't you guys sit at the dining table, and we'll serve it all up."

"Thank you, Ms. Nojiko and Ms. Nami for making us dinner," Sanji said and bowed his head as he stood to sit at the dining table.

"It really does smell good. I will have to come over, even after all of this, just to get good dinners," Law said and chuckled as he sat down.

"You're welcome, boys and Robin. Come around any time, and we'll cook you up a dinner," Nojiko said and smiled to them all.

Looking over to the table, Luffy counted six chairs, but then looked at everyone there and counted seven. There was not enough room for everyone, which made him frown. He could just sit on the floor. It was no problem, and so he did not move to the table as everyone else did.

"Hey," Nojiko called and smiled to him, "it's all right. Look," she moved over to the table, pushing another of those circles on the table, and it instantly extended at the end, pushing the end chair back. She then moved, tapping her toe on another on the floor, and a chair rose up. "There's plenty of room for you."

Luffy blinked twice at her, but then he slowly smiled. He then stood up and went to sit with everyone else. "Thanks, Nojiko!" he said and looked up to her with his smile.

"No problem, Luffy," she said, giving his shoulder a pat, and then she moved to help Nami plate the food.

Once it was all served up, everyone began to eat and talk, as if all at once. There was a lot of laughter, and Luffy just smiled, feeling as if he really was a part of them, instead of just a carrier to them. They even included him in the conversation, even asking questions about him in their curiosity. Smiling brightly as he talked with them, he felt the happiest he had felt in… Well, in ever.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'aww… T_T This… This chapter makes me all warm and fuzzy and so happy! ;_; I want to huggle him! Luffy, you're awesome! Still having trouble including everyone… I'll get it… Oi… -_- Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: ** Here's chapter 14 for you guys. Hope you enjoy it! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 14**

After eating dinner, they all headed out, minus Nojiko, to head over to Heart City. However, Luffy lagged behind and called, "N-Nami…"

Nami paused; a bit surprised he was calling to her and turned to him. "What is it?"

"Can I talk to you?" he asked uncertainly.

Looking uncertain herself, she glanced to the others and then to Zoro, who went on ahead to give them some privacy. Clearing her throat, she then just nodded and said, "Sure."

"About… Ace… You never did really answer. Are you going to tell your superiors about him?" he asked, wringing his fingers together and looking concerned.

Gazing back at him in silence, she gave this some thought, which made him shift around anxiously, but then she finally said, "It really goes against my conscience not to tell them."

Deflating right before her eyes, Luffy lowered his head and muttered, "I see… I understand. You have to do what you have to do, and what you feel is right."

Biting into her lip to what he said, she then took a breath and said, "But… I'm not going to."

Looking up at her quickly with those big dark eyes of his, Luffy seemed to gape back at her, but then the brightest smile curved his lips, and he even snickered. "Thanks so much, Nami!" he exclaimed, though much more softly than his exuberant thanks before to others.

Nodding her head slowly and feeling a slight heat enter her cheeks, she then said, "You put your trust into us, and so, for that, I'm putting my trust into you, Luffy. I hope I don't regret this. It'll be on my conscience if something does happen."

"It won't, and even if it does, it will be on me, since you're putting your trust in me," Luffy said, shaking his head quickly.

"Well, you trust your brother, and so I'll trust you," Nami said, glancing to the side and shrugging.

Nodding his head, Luffy reached out, taking her hand in both of his. "Thank you, Nami. With us looking and Ace as well, we'll definitely find Teach," he said, looking at her intently in his gratitude.

Her face instantly heated to his closer proximity as well as his holding her hand, but she nodded jerkily and said, "O-Of course. A-Anyways, we-we should get going."

"Yeah, we should hurry!" he said and just moved past her quickly, as if nothing of significance had happened, though nothing of significance had happened, of course.

Shaking her head to clear it, she huffed out and then turned to follow him to get into the driver's side. After Luffy entered, Zoro entered in after him. Clearing her throat and taking a breath, Nami took them up and headed off to Heart City. It took them forty-five minutes to get to sector three, and when they reached it, Luffy nearly climbed over Zoro's lap to see out of the window. His eyes were huge and soaking it all in.

"Wow," he whispered in awe as he looked around at it quickly, trying to see it all at once. "Is that…?"

"It's a theme park, yes," Zoro said with a smirk, amused by the young man.

"A theme park," Luffy whispered, and his heart rate increased. He had read about theme parks, and he even visited the remnant of one, which had been nearly completely destroyed in the wars. He had always wanted to see one in perfect, functioning condition. There was a massive lit up Ferris wheel, which looked so bright in the dusk horizon. It was currently spinning and was the neatest thing he had ever seen. There were also roller coasters and booths and shops and so many people he could see roaming about. However, he slowly began to frown and whispered, "This is sector three?"

"That's right," Nami said with a nod, also frowning softly.

Clamping his teeth down hard, Luffy nodded and whispered, "I see. Hopefully someone may have some information. It would be best to ask those, who run it."

"We'll ask all of the employees, and anyone from previous shifts will be questioned as well, once we get their information. We're supposed to meet some Guards here from this city," Nami said as she set the vehicle down in an appropriate spot. "Let's head to the front," she said as she exited the vehicle.

As they approached the front, they could see a group of guards already waiting for them with Robin. When they spotted them, they stepped forward to greet them. A glasses wearing man stepped up first, wearing the same colored uniform as Nami, with the green arm bands, and said, "You must be Intel-Guard Nami." He then held his hand out to her. "I'm Intel-Guard Kuro." He then motioned to a dark haired woman, sporting red arm bands and said, "This is Battle-Guard Tashigi." Then he motioned to another rotund man, "this is Battle-Guard Jinbei," He then motioned to a blonde, pale skinned woman, "and this is Med-Guard Kaya."

"It's nice to meet you, Intel-Guard Kuro, Battle-Guards Jinbei and Tashigi and Med-Guard Kaya," Nami said as she shook Kuro's hand. Nami then motioned to her team and said, "This is Battle-Guards Zoro and Sanji, Med-Guard Law – I'm sure Intel-Guard Robin has already introduced herself - and over here is Luffy."

"Nice to meet you all!" Luffy said with a grin as he held up his hand.

"Interesting," Tashigi said, staring right at Luffy. "The carrier seems friendly."

"Luffy is friendly," Robin said and quirked a brow, "and he's perfectly coherent, so speaking about him as if he can't understand or isn't there is quite rude."

"Ah, it's all right, Robin. I'm kind of getting used to it," Luffy said and scratched his head.

"Fascinating indeed," Kuro muttered and pushed up his glasses with the heel of his palm.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Jinbei said, regarding them all, even Luffy. "I hope we can work together to come up with useful information. The innocent are at risk."

"And hopefully no one is hurt, but I'm sure we will do our very best, even if someone is," Kaya said and smiled to Law, who nodded to her in agreement.

"And if there's anyone here, who deserves an ass kicking, we'll handle that," Zoro said and grunted as he glanced inside towards the theme park.

"I look forward to that," Sanji said with a chuckle as he lit a cigarette.

"Let's not become like a savage carrier. We have to be in perfect control," Tashigi said, frowning at both Zoro and Sanji.

"Ah, my dear, I am always in perfect control, and actually, so is Luffy. There's no need to be concerned," Sanji said and smiled to her.

Zoro just scoffed and shook his head at this woman. Well, just because they had become Luffy's friends, did not mean everyone else would see him as anything except a savage carrier. "Look, can we keep the savage carrier comments to a bare - I don't know - non-existent?"

Smiling to Zoro, Luffy chuckled and said, "It's all right, Zoro, really. If it makes them feel better, I don't mind. Not anymore, anyway. I know everyone here hates my kind, and it's understandable."

"An understanding carrier… even more interesting," Tashigi said, lifting her glasses more onto her nose.

"Are you studying him or something? That's not disturbing," Zoro said, quirking his brow once again at this irritating woman. It was as if she was ignoring them completely. He then looked to Luffy and said, "It bothers you though. I know it does. I can see it all over your face."

"And they seem to have even befriended the carrier," Tashigi observed, and it really did seem as if she was studying them. "Perhaps the carrier is deceiving them with his sunny nature…"

"What the-? Are you not hearing anything I'm saying?" Zoro exclaimed, now just plain offended by this woman.

"Seriously? Are you sure you're a Battle-Guard?" Law asked, a bit confused by this woman. She seemed more like an Intel-Guard. He then leaned over to Zoro and muttered, "I'm a little creeped out."

Zoro leaned over to him and muttered in reply, "Me too. I feel like a science project."

"I feel like something I shouldn't be feeling," Law muttered, but then just cleared his throat.

"Battle-Guard Tashigi, if you please?" Kuro said, turning to look at the woman.

"My apologies, Intel-Guard Kuro. I'm just fascinated by them, is all," Tashigi said and finally looked at Kuro.

"I'm not deceiving anyone," Luffy said and frowned to the woman, looking exactly as Zoro said, bothered.

"You see? I told you it bothered you!" Zoro said, frowning over to Luffy as if appalled he tried to hide it and even smacked his arm with the back of his hand.

"Ah, sorry, Zoro," Luffy said and his shoulders fell.

"Don't even worry about it. They don't matter," Zoro said, giving Luffy's shoulder a pat.

Tashigi opened her mouth as if she meant to make another comment to this behavior, but she decided against it. Kuro cleared his throat as he then turned and said, "Shall we head inside and begin questioning the staff?"

"Yes, of course," Nami muttered as she glanced to Luffy, but then she headed inside with them.

"We can split up to cover more ground. Let's meet back at the entrance in an hour," Kuro said and nodded to Nami.

"That sounds good. See you in an hour," Nami said with her own nod and then headed in a random direction, leaving the other group to do the same. Hopefully, they would find something before it was too late.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **D'awww! Stop hurting Luffy's feelings! D: How rude! But in come his friends to the rescue! Lawl, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I may do a double post soon, but we'll have to see. :) Thanks so much for the support so far! Just so you are informed, there are 24 chapters completed so far, and I was a bit stumped on how to go about chapter 25, still am. So, I didn't write yesterday. However, I've found a new song, and it is AMAZING. I won't post what song it is yet, until the appropriate time. :3 I shall try my best to make the end amazing for you guys. I know I can think of something. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **Hmm, I think I will post two chapters today… or maybe not… I guess I'll see if I feel like it… Chapters 15, 16 and 17 are my favorites, after all, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for chapter 17… I'm still stumped on chapter 25. I've not written anything for it, and it's got me worried. I want it to be good, but going about making it good is proving harder than I thought. Maybe I'm over thinking it… Haha, anyways, I'm hoping today I can overcome this hurdle. I hope you enjoy these 2 of my favorite 3 chapters so far. :)

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 15**

As Nami began questioning staff members, Luffy could not help it as his eyes wandered. He never, in his wildest dreams, ever thought he would actually set foot within an active and functioning theme park. He did not even notice the skittish sky dwellers, who were startled by him and skirted around him. Nor did he notice how nervous he made the staffers, who were being questioned. He did not even realize he had stopped paying attention to what was said.

Looking over to him and noting where his attention was, when it should have been on the investigation, Zoro smirked at him and gave him a nudge. Luffy instantly jumped and looked over to him. He then frowned as he cleared his throat and muttered, "Sorry..."

He then turned back and attempted to pay attention, but the staffer had not seen either Teach or Enel. When they moved on, Luffy could not help it when he lagged behind, since he was looking all over the place. The games and rides looked so fun, and the food smelled delicious. His feet stopped moving when he noticed a particular shop with strange looking food inside, and his mouth instantly watered.

"Luffy?" Nami called, when she noticed Zoro had stopped and then noticed Luffy was the reason. 

Luffy did not hear the call this time, but continued to look in at all the strange foods. They looked sweet, and more than anything, he wanted to try one of them, at least. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he jumped, also causing Nami to jump with a gasp. 

"O-Oh, sorry!" he exclaimed, but his eyes were once again pulled to the shop.

"Luffy, are you all right?" Nami asked and began to frown.

"Y-Yes, we should ask this guy," he said, pointing to the long nosed man inside.

"Oh? What makes you think he would know anything? He's been in this shop," Nami said as she gazed inside.

"B-Because," Luffy said and just headed inside.

"Wait, Luffy," Nami called, but quickly followed, along with the others, though Zoro, Law and Sanji were smirking.

"He's following his stomach, is how he knows," Sanji muttered, and the other two agreed with nods, though Robin giggled her agreement as well. 

The moment the long nosed man caught sight of Luffy, he became very wary and fearful. "W-W-What are you doing in my sh-sh-shop, c-carrier?"

"Relax, we're just here to ask some questions," Nami said, and Luffy began to ask.

"What are these?" Luffy asked, pointing to something particularly delicious looking.

"Luffy!" Nami called in a reprimanding tone, but she was ignored.

"Do they taste good? They look like they taste really good, and everything smells really good," Luffy said, now looking at something else. "These look really creamy."

"H-Hey! L-Listen to your guards! P-Please control your c-carrier!" the long nosed man exclaimed, looking more and more nervous.

"Hey, what's your name?" Zoro asked the man with a lift of his brow.

"I-It's Usopp," he said, but was still glancing to Luffy nervously.

"Usopp, what is this?" Zoro asked, pointing to the first pastry Luffy had asked about.

"It-It's my own c-creation. It's a s-sweet s-star pastry," Usopp replied with a frown.

"And these?" Zoro asked, pointing to the buckets Luffy had asked about next, even though Zoro knew exactly what the cream within the buckets was.

Usopp looked at him as if he was crazy and said, "Those are just different flavored ice creams." 

"Ice cream! I've read about ice cream!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly with a grin. "I've always wanted to try some!"

"No way! I refuse to sell to a carrier and let it go to waste!" Usopp exclaimed, looking offended.

Luffy visibly dimmed as his smile fell and shoulders drooped. He looked downright wounded. "Oh, right…" he muttered, looking down at the ice creams one more time before just moving to look at something else. 

The look on his face was enough to cause a mighty tug at her heart. Nami frowned after him sadly, but then quickly looked over to Usopp. "I wish to purchase a scoop of every flavor you have," she said, frowning deeply to him.

"Wait, what?" Usopp asked, looking disbelieving to the woman.

"You heard me," she said, placing her hands on her hips. Luffy looked over to her curiously. 

"N-Now wait a minute," Usopp started, but Nami interrupted him.

"I am not a carrier you can disrespect! I said I will purchase one scoop of every flavor you have!" she exclaimed, meaning business.

Taking a step back, Usopp nodded quickly and said, "R-Right away, miss." 

He went to retrieve the biggest bowl he had and filled it with the scoops of ice cream. He then slid it into the counter, and Nami paid for it. Lifting it up, she then went to Luffy and said softly, "Here, Luffy. You can eat it while we ask Usopp questions."

Luffy could only gape at her. Did she really just do that for him? He swallowed down, feeling a rush of gratitude and happy feelings as he slowly reached for the bowl. "Thanks, Nami," he said quietly, the tone hiding nothing of that gratitude. He then looked up and offered her his brightest smile. Turning, he set the bowl down on the table nearest him and sat down. Zoro moved to sit with him and handed him a spoon. "Thanks, Zoro!" Luffy said, looking extremely happy and possibly close to tears, but perhaps it was just the trick of the light.

Zoro chuckled softly and said, "No problem, Luffy. Enjoy."

Sanji and Law both smiled and moved to sit with Luffy as well. Luffy tried every flavor first before tearing into all of them. Ice cream was way better than he imagined, and he did not even mind the brain freeze. It was all so amazing!

Usopp could only gawk in amazement how these Guards treated this carrier. It seemed as if they actually treated him with care and possibly affection, but that could not be possible, right? Carriers were bad, were they not? Seeing just how grateful and happy the carrier seemed, and even how hurt he had appeared from being denied, Usopp was actually feeling guilty… very guilty. He looked to Nami, looking down right ashamed and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Nami watched them for a while and even smiled. Robin also looked to them fondly with a soft smile, but then Nami finally turned her attention back to Usopp when he spoke. Losing her smile, she then sighed and looked down as well. "It's… all right. Everyone misunderstands him, upon looking at him. Even I did for a time. I didn't trust him. I'm not even sure I still do, but…" she started and looked over to Luffy again, who was smiling and laughing with the other three, who were also smiling and laughing with him, "you can't really help, but… be drawn into him. I… really think he means well. He came here to protect and save us, and he sacrificed a lot to do it. We owe him."

Usopp listened to her and felt far worse than he had ever felt before. The carrier came to save them? From what, he had to wonder? However, he nodded, but then looked over to the other pastry Luffy had asked about. Going to it, he slid open the door, grabbed a pastry sheet and picked it up. He then went over to the four at the table and held the pastry out to Luffy. "H-Here… I… I'm sorry for my rudeness… I was just s-scared."

Luffy blinked up at Usopp, but then he grinned to him brightly and said, "It's all right. I know everyone here is afraid of me." He then reached out to carefully take the pastry from Usopp, looking very excited, and then he said, quietly, "Thank you, Usopp. This means a lot to me." He then took a bite, his face lighting up and exclaimed, "This tastes amazing! I've never tasted anything like it before!"

Usopp felt himself smiled widely, and then his chest puffed out with pride. "Thank you! I'm glad you like it! It's my own creation!"

"It's amazing! You're amazing! Thanks so much, Usopp!" Luffy exclaimed, looking extremely happy, and again, he looked a bit misty eyed, but it had to just be the light shining in his eyes.

Smiling a little more gently and feeling a little embarrassed to Luffy's praise, Usopp could see what Nami was talking about, and then he said, "You're welcome, Luffy. It's… It's very nice to meet you. I've never met-ah… someone of your kind before."

"It's very nice to meet you too, Usopp!" Luffy said and genuinely meant it.

Usopp smiled with a nod, but then turned back to Nami, who was gazing back at Luffy with a strange, but soft expression. Nami felt a tug at her heart again, seeing Luffy looking so genuinely happy about Usopp's gesture. She smiled, but then looked up at Usopp, who returned to where she was. "Thank you for that. I know it made him happy," she said and nodded her head to him in her thanks.

"It's all right. I shouldn't have reacted so badly. I couldn't help it, but it was no excuse, since he was not unfriendly to me," Usopp said and nodded. "So, you needed something?"

"Right, so, as I said before, we need to ask you a few questions," she said and folded her arms under her ample chest.

"Right," he said and nodded his head. "Ask away."

"We're looking for these two men," she said, removing a small device and showing him a 3D side by side hologram of both men. "Have you seen them, or have you noticed any strange activity or devices?" 

"Ah!" Usopp exclaimed and pointed to Teach. "He came in here this morning and asked for a bunch of pies!"

"What?" Luffy nearly yelled and sat up straight. "You've seen Teach?" 

"What time this morning?" Nami demanded, looking just as anxious as Luffy.

"Um, about ten this morning!" Usopp said and nodded hard.

"Did you see where he went or if he had anything with him?" Nami asked, frowning deeply in concern. 

"Yeah! He was carrying a pack, but I thought nothing of it. Lots of people carry packs here, though he did come off as strange. He headed straight to the middle of the park," Usopp said, beginning to frown as well. "Why? Who is he?"

"There's no need for you to worry, but it might be best for you to vacate the park immediately for your own safety," Nami said and pushed the device on her ear. "We need an evacuation of the entire park in sector three of Heart City." She then turned to head out quickly and said to the others there, "We need to get to the middle!"

They all nodded and quickly filed out to follow after her. "Though Luffy turned to Usopp and said, quickly, "Thanks so much, Usopp! You should do as she said and leave immediately!"

"I will!" Usopp said and quickly moved to the back to quickly gather a few things before he was to leave.

Luffy quickly rushed out to meet the others, who waited for him, and then they all headed to the middle. They did not run, as to cause alarm, but they did walk quickly. As they made it to the middle, an announcement for a calm evacuation was beginning to repeat over and over again around the park. "Okay, let's search around here, and be quick about it!" Zoro said as he moved off to search, and soon, the other team arrived to help in the search after Nami called for them.

It only took two minutes before Tashigi called, "I found a pack!" Luffy quickly moved towards her, startling her enough to reach for her weapon. "Stay back!" she cried and aimed it at him, but he ignored her.

"Move aside!" Luffy said, easily pushing her aside, but then he called over his shoulder, "Everyone else stay back!" Zoro came up to grab the glasses wearing woman and pulled her back with everyone else.

"What are you doing? Why are you letting this carrier take over?" she exclaimed as she looked up at him.

"Luffy knows what he's doing! Just be quiet!" Zoro commanded and looked over to Luffy. "Be careful, Luffy!"

"I will," Luffy said with a nod and carefully opened it. Sucking in his breath, his eyes widened in horror, and he quickly looked up, but then to the side. The park was nowhere near being evacuated, and there were still people heading for the exit. Fifteen seconds was not enough to get them all to a safe distance. Looking to the others, he yelled, "Run! Run now and get down! Everyone run!" He then ran for them, and they immediately began to run as well. Everyone else, not understanding, just stared, and so they yelled for them to run.

Everyone began to scream in terror as they ran for the exit. They were not far enough away, and he knew it. Looking to the side, Luffy cried, "There!" He grabbed a hold of Nami and dove behind it, the others quickly following. The moment they hit the ground, that was when it happened. It was loud, the sound terrifying and deafening. Everything happened so quickly, debris falling down around them, and Luffy did the only thing he could do, holding Nami tighter in hopes they would all remain unharmed.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Yeaah, I bet you guys would hate it, if I decided not to post the next chapter. Lawl… I'll think about it… O.o Hahaha, naw, I'm just teasing! I should leave it here, but I won't. I like you guys too much, and you're good to me, with your reviews. :) I really do appreciate those! And this is how I shall show my appreciation. :) Stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** All right, here's the second post for today. I hope you enjoy them. :)

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 16**

His ears were ringing, but he only felt minor pain. Luffy pushed the heavy debris off from him and Nami. He slowly lifted his head and looked around him to the others, seeing them pushing their way out of the debris and raising their heads as well. He then looked down at Nami, who also looked up at him. "Are you all right?" he called down to her, but he could barely hear himself over the ringing.

She nodded quickly to him, but she looked very shaken. He could see she had a few cuts, but nothing serious. Nodding in reply, he slowly stood and reached down to help her up. He looked down at himself, seeing a small metal shrapnel embedded within his side nearest his back, and so he pulled it out with a grunt. It was not too bad. He then looked up at the destruction and his face fell. There were bodies everywhere. Taking in a harsher breath, he felt the sting of it in his heart. They had failed to stop it-He had failed.

"A-Are you all right?" she asked, watching as he removed the shrapnel and stepped forward to look over the wound.

"Yes, it wasn't too deep," he said and nodded. 

"Is everyone all right?" Sanji asked the others there, and they all nodded, only looking slightly worse for wear. They mainly appeared dirty and disheveled, but only a bit of blood was visible from cuts.

"We have to check for survivors and call for more help," Kaya said in a tearful voice and quickly moved forward.

"I'll call," Nami said and did so immediately.

Everyone else nodded in agreement to check for survivors and moved off to do just that. Luffy moved through and stepped over debris, lifting the larger pieces to check under. As he moved, he heard someone crying, and so quickly moved to find them. He lifted up debris, when the weak crying and wheezing grew a little louder and then paused. It was a child, and he was covered in blood. He could see a large protruding metal fragment in his side, and it was oozing blood.

Throwing the debris aside, he knelt down and called softly, "Hey, it's going to be okay."

The child looked over to him through tearful eyes, but the moment he spied his collar, the child became terrified. He began crying harder and looking around for help. "No!" he cried and tried to push Luffy away.

"Hey-Hey, it's okay - It's okay," Luffy called, trying to keep his voice as calm and soothing as he could. "I'm going to help you. I won't hurt you." He then looked up towards Law and then to Kaya, but both were already helping people. "I... I need help!" he called to them.

Law looked up and said, "I'll be there in a bit! Just give me a few minutes!"

Luffy nodded and looked back down at the child. "Hey, it's okay. Don't cry. Don't be afraid," he whispered down to him.

The child began to calm slightly as he looked up at Luffy curiously, but he still seemed to be having trouble breathing. "Y-You're a c-carrier," he whispered weakly up to him.

Luffy smiled for the small boy and whispered, "That's right. I am."

Looking even more curious, though his tears slowly fell, he reached up and poked Luffy's cheek, making Luffy chuckle. "You're not a bad one," he stated and sniffled, but winced to the pain that caused him.

"No, no I'm not. I'm a lawman on the surface," Luffy said, keeping his smile, but he was becoming worried. The boy was looking paler and paler. "Law!" he called again.

"I'm coming!" Law called, looking pale himself as he quickly patched up a woman and then stood up, already hearing sirens. "Others are coming." He then knelt down to assess the boy and removed a flat tablet to get a better look at all his injuries, and his face fell. It did not look good at all. Despite the discouraging assessment, he quickly went to work on the boy. "I'm going to give you something for the pain. Why don't you keep talking to Luffy here?" he said to the boy in a soothing voice.

The boy nodded, giving Luffy back his attention and asked in a weak whisper, "You're a good guy?" He looked much calmer with Law there as well as Luffy's comforting presence, and lifted his tiny hand to Luffy.

Luffy smiled brighter, but his dark eyes glossed over, and he reached out to gently clasp the child's bloody hand to hold. "That's right. I'm a good guy, and I'm going to keep you safe," he whispered to him, but he could feel it in the boy's weak grasp. He was dying. 

"Okay," the boy barely whispered, before his hold completely slackened and his eyes went out of focus.

"No-no-no! Law!" Luffy screamed and quickly looked up at Law. 

Nami gasped loudly and quickly looked up at Luffy, who looked so distraught and frantic. "Luffy!" she cried and quickly stood to go to him.

"I'm trying!" Law cried as he worked as fast as he possible could.

Luffy kept a hold of the child's hand as Law worked. Law placed a mask over the boy's face and attempted to pump air into him to resuscitate him. When another Med-Guard came to help, Luffy quickly stepped away to give them room to work. He paced back and forth while chewing on his thumbnail, but never removed his eyes from them.

After a while, the other Med-Guard shook his head and said, "I'm sorry."

"What? No! You have to save him!" Luffy cried, looking horrified.

"Luffy," Nami called to him softly as tears formed within her eyes. She then reached out, gently grasping his arm. 

Law looked pained, but kept working in a desperate attempt to revive the child. However, after a few minutes, he clamped his eyes shut and shook his head harshly. "I'm sorry, Luffy. I can't save him. He's lost too much blood, his lung is too damaged, and there was massive internal hemorrhaging," he said in a harsh tone, since it pained him to say it. "His damage was just too extensive. He wouldn't have even made the trip to the hospital. I'm so sorry. I have to see to others."

Beginning to breathe harshly and raggedly, Luffy just stared down at the child as Law gently shut the boy's eyes. Law then quickly stood and moved off, leaving Luffy and Nami alone. Luffy clamped and unclamped his jaw, feeling the anger rising. Teach did this, and he had failed to stop it. He glanced around the area to the other bodies, those injured and those mourning the loss of their loved ones. Teach did this! Looking back down at the child, his teeth began to grind, and then he took in a harsh and quick breath.

Nami gasped loudly and jumped back to the savage cry. Her eyes filled with so many tears, which spilled down over her cheeks in fast rivulets. He looked so furious, and it was actually terrifying, but mostly, it was painful to watch. She then watched in horror as he ripped his arm out of her grasp and began destroying debris apart with his bare hands. He even punched a metal beam and dented it completely. "Luffy!" she cried and ran to him. "Luffy, don't! The collar!" He paused and looked over to her, but then grunted as he was brought to his knee when the collar shocked him. "Luffy!" she cried and knelt down beside him. "Are you all right?"

"No!" he snapped, but then he forced a breath and said more calmly, "No…"

Her face fell, and she looked over to the child as the tears continued to fall. She stood to go over to the boy and knelt before him. She caressed his cool cheek and bit into her lip hard. Tears came to her eyes as she looked back to Luffy and whispered, "Luffy, I'm sorry."

"I couldn't stop this," he whispered, still looking angry, and so he slammed his fist down over the debris.

"You!"

Both Luffy and Nami looked up to the voice, seeing a woman standing there, looking worse for wear. "This is your fault! You did this!" she screamed and reached down to pick up a bit of debris. She then threw it at him.

Luffy grunted, when it struck him, but he did not move and just frowned. More people began screaming at him as well and throwing the debris around him. He grunted as most of it hit him, but then cried out when a shard of metal cut into his cheek under his left eye.

"Luffy!" Nami cried and ran to him, but Luffy gasped, when she ran to him. "Stop it!" she cried to the people with a deep frown.

"No, Nami!" he cried, quickly standing to grab her and turned, so that they could not hit her with the debris they were still throwing.

Nami gasped, quickly looking up at him with big eyes. Having looked to Luffy when he had started his frenzy and seeing what the civilians were doing, Zoro and Sanji quickly moved to stop the people. "Knock it off!" Zoro yelled at them and blocked the two off from the mob. "Yes, let's poke the already angry bear with a fucking stick! Are you fucking stupid?"

"Hey!" Sanji said, looking over to Zoro, though he had to agree. He then looked to the people and said, "Calm down! This isn't Luffy's fault. He didn't do this! He was trying to help us to prevent it! We're going to find who was responsible for this!" He then looked to Zoro and said, "Besides, you know Luffy would never hurt them."

"Of course he wouldn't! But it doesn't change the fact that these people are fucking stupid!" Zoro retorted; he was just angry about the whole thing as well as stressed. The people calmed and actually looked properly reprimanded. He was right, after all. For all they knew, the carrier could have attacked them, but they had been so angry and hurting for their losses.

"I-I can help," Usopp said, limping up with a few cuts of his own. He looked over to Kaya and said, "Do you need any help?" he asked and dropped down beside her.

"Yes," she said and flashed him a smile before she focused back on her work.

"Name's Usopp," Usopp said and smiled vaguely.

"I'm Kaya," she said and smiled a little wider. She then offered him quiet instructions to assist her.

"Luffy," Nami whispered up at him, when he just gazed down at her, both ignoring the others, though she saw his jaw flexing, "I'm sorry. We're going to find Teach before this happens again. We won't let this happen again." Still gazing down at her and his breaths heaving, he then just nodded his head at her, though it caused the blood from his wound to spill down his cheek, making it seem like he was crying blood tears. "You're hurt," she whispered and looked about.

Pulling away from him, she moved to a Med-Guard near them and knelt beside him. After a while, she came back to Luffy and said, "Let me see." He said nothing, but he held still for her as she cleaned the wound of his blood, but then she whispered, "Close your eyes." He just did as she told him to, and she whispered, "This is going to sting a bit." She then carefully sprayed something over the deep gash, which helped to close the wound as well as disinfect it and stop the bleeding. Luffy winced to the nasty sting. "I'm sorry," she whispered and then carefully applied a gel before placing a thick bandage over it. She then moved to do the same for the wound near his back, which was still oozing blood. "Okay, done," she whispered and moved back to stand before him.

Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down at her and muttered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she whispered, still gazing up at him, and then she suddenly pulled him into her arms, but she said nothing else. He was angry and clearly beating himself up inside. She knew he was hurting, and it made her hurt too, despite the hurt she was already feeling. She, like him, was also hurting from all the lives lost, but knowing he was hurting made it hurt so much more. He really did care about all of them.

Luffy instantly stiffened within her arms and sucked in his breath. However, after a while, he crumbled, since he could still see the child, though they had come to retrieve his body. The child had trusted him to keep him safe before he died, and it hurt; it really hurt. He was still so small; so young, but he was denied a full life, because of Teach.

When she heard the first sniffle, large tears gathered in her eyes and her arms around him tightened. He did not hug her in return, but she felt him go nearly limp against her and pressed his face within her shoulder and neck. Everyone else looked to them for a moment, seeing the other man's pain clearly. Usopp felt his own tears forming and sniffled, rubbing his finger under his nose to stop it from running. It was a horrible loss, and one the skies had not seen within the last half century, since the wars.

Zoro and Sanji lowered their heads, feeling just as depressed inside, but then they turned to continue their job of helping others. Doing so would help keep the horrible feelings at bay. Law clamped his jaw tightly after glimpsing at Luffy and Nami and feeling terrible for not being able to save the boy. He then clamped his eyes shut for a moment before continuing what he was doing. Everyone else could only watch in some shock to this carrier displaying such raw emotion about _their_ losses, not _his_, though he seemed to be treating it as such. It was amazing, really, but it still left them so confused.

Nami pet over Luffy's head and just whispered to him over and over again to attempt at comforting him, even if her tears fell just as much. She just held him tight as he silently cried for the child and all the others who had lost their life not but a half hour before as well as those who could be heard crying loudly for their lost loved ones.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'awwww… I cried writing this… Made me so sad… T_T It was hard… Luffy… T_T This was so sad… I hope you enjoyed the double post… Please stay tuned for the next chapter… T_T


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** All right, here's another of my favorites. I got more now too! :3 I think I should go ahead and say this. I finished the fic last night. Yup, that's right! It's completed! I managed to write all the way up to chapter 30. xD So, no fears this fic won't end either, lawl! Anyways, enjoy this chapter! :3

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 17**

Nami sighed and gave up on trying to sleep. Throwing back her covers, she climbed out of bed, pulled on a robe and slipped her feet into her slippers. Clutching her long, wavy hair, she twisted it up and pulled it to the front over her shoulder. She would maybe find a snack, watch some television and maybe try to sleep again. She was exhausted, even if she could not sleep, and hopefully after this, she would actually be able to. She just could not get her mind off the earlier events, and so she made her way down the hall to her kitchen, but something caught the corner of her eye. Looking over with a soft gasp from being startled, she saw a small silhouette of a body, sitting on the floor before the large window.

Hearing the gasp, Luffy quickly turned and called quietly, "Nami... Ah, sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." 

"No, you didn't. Just startled me a little," she said and moved towards him to sit down beside him. "Couldn't sleep either?"

Slowly shaking his head, he looked back out of the window with a sigh and whispered, "No, I keep seeing it all. I keep seeing his face. He was terrified of me at first, but then he trusted me to keep him safe, and then he died anyway." 

Nami felt the tears stinging again as she nodded, but then whispered, "But he wasn't scared when he died, and he didn't die alone. He felt safe the moment he passed, and that means everything. I know it meant a lot to him."

Taking a deep breath, his expression saddened, but he nodded his head in understanding. He kept silent and just watched the flying vehicles go by. After a few moments of silence, he then whispered, "I really like it here." 

Glancing to him, she then looked back out and whispered, "Me too."

He took in a deep, heartfelt breath and whispered, "I want to protect it; the way it is. I don't want it to be destroyed, not like it all was on the surface. I don't want it to look like how it looks now. It's ugly down there. It's so beautiful here. I wish it looked like this down there too. I really wish my kind had not terrorized yours. I'm really sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Luffy. You didn't do it. It wasn't you. You shouldn't have to apologize for that," Nami whispered as she shook her head and looked over to him again.

"I'm still sorry. I would love to live here, but I know it's impossible. It's enough to have at least seen it. I still want to protect it. I will make sure what happened on the surface does _not_ happen here, and I will make sure what happened today won't ever happen again," he whispered with conviction and nodded his head hard to prove he meant business. "We're going to find Teach and this Enel."

"Yes, we are," she whispered and smiled to him. Looking over to her and seeing her smile, he smiled as well and even chuckled. He looked back out again and hugged his knees tighter. She looked back out as well, and both just sat in a comfortable silence for a while, but then she smiled again. "You know, I was going to get a snack and watch some television. Would you like to join me?" she asked and looked over to him.

Smiling wider, he nodded his head and finally looked over to her. "I would like that. I'm hungry. I've never seen a working television before," he said as he stood up and held his hands out to her.

"Well, today you get to," she said, taking his offered hands, and he pulled her up easily. She took in a soft breath when she was pressed up against him for a few seconds before he stepped back. Clearing her throat, she felt her cheeks heat with a flush, and then she turned to head into the kitchen. "Let's, um… see what I can whip up," she said, offering him a nervous smile before turning around again.

"Okay," he said and sat at the island to wait. He felt much better and a lot less depressed because of her. "Thanks, Nami," he said, resting his arms over the counter with his smile.

Turning to look over at him over her shoulder, she smiled and said, "You're welcome, Luffy." She then went back to looking about and said, "Oh! We still have some pie left." She removed the pie from the fridge and set it on the counter. She cut them both a slice, heated them up and added a cream on top, which looked as fluffy as clouds to Luffy. She then slid a plate and fork over to him with a wink and whispered, "Just don't tell the others."

He grinned with a snicker and said, "I won't tell anyone!"

"Come on, let's eat in the living room, so we can watch the television," she said with a chuckle as she moved out of the kitchen to the living room and sat down on the couch.

Luffy quickly followed with his pie and sat down beside her. Reaching within a hidden compartment within the couch, she removed a remote control and pushed a button. The painting she had above the fireplace faded away and instead became a screen. Luffy's eyes widened as he sat up and whispered, "Wow… that's amazing! It looks so real!"

Chuckling softly, she began to check what was on and said, "Yeah, it is pretty amazing."

"My kind would never be patient enough to do any of this," he said and pouted, but then began eating his pie. He looked down to it and said, "This is really good."

"Yeah, it's my favorite pie. It's mixed berry," she said with a chuckle as she ate hers as well.

After finally settling on a movie, they both watched in silence as they ate their pie slices, and Luffy still looked in awe of it. Finishing his slice, Luffy sighed deeply and suddenly whispered, "I'm going to miss all of this."

Looking over to him, Nami bit her lip with a frown, but then looked down, and she had to admit, she would actually miss him. He really was so sunny and happy. It did not take long at all for everyone there to consider him a friend. "Yeah," she finally whispered in reply and sighed as well.

"I don't want to go back," he whispered, and his shoulders sagged. He really did want to remain there, but he knew they would never allow it. With a huff, he just let himself slide down the couch towards her to lie down.

Biting more into her lip, Nami's cheeks flushed to his head lying down near her thigh, but she did not complain. He looked so depressed for several reasons, and her heart went out to him. Reaching out, she gave his head a gentle pat and whispered, "I'm sorry, Luffy."

"It's all right," he replied, just keeping his eyes on the screen. "I have to go home after this. My family needs me," he said and went silent for a while, but then he asked, "They will let me go home after this, won't they?"

"I-" she started, but words did not come forth. Lowering her eyes into her lap, she sighed and whispered, "I'm going to be honest, Luffy. I really don't know. I don't know what they will decide."

Nodding his head slowly, he whispered, "I understand. It doesn't matter. I expected as much anyway. It didn't matter though. I knew what I was getting into by coming up here."

Looking down at him just staring up at the screen, she then gave his head a small caress from where she had patted it and whispered, "Thank you, Luffy. You were willing to sacrifice possibly your life and freedom by coming up here, and that means everything to me. It means everything to all of us. You gave us a fighting chance. I'll do my best to make sure they're fair to you once this is all dealt with. I won't allow them to lock you away, but… I definitely can't promise they'd let you stay."

"Yeah, I know," he whispered with a shrug, though her small pets over his head were making him relax completely. "I didn't think they would ever let me stay here. I'm glad I got to meet you. I'm glad I got to meet everyone. I won't ever forget you. No matter what happens, I won't regret it. At least, if they lock me away, I would still be here, and the prison would probably still be better than my apartment," he said and snickered softly.

This made her laugh softly as well and said, "I would be afraid to see it then."

"Shishishi, yeah it's really bad!" he said with a snicker, looking very amused. "But it's home, I guess. I like heading out of the city to where there is still grass and trees. I sit out there for hours, just enjoying the peace, and I always looked up to the clouds, knowing you were all here. I used to always imagine what it was like. Actually seeing it is nothing at all like I imagined. It's so much more; so much better."

"You know, you would make an exceptional Battle-Guard," she said and smiled to him softly.

"Yeah? You really think so?" he asked with a bright smile, but kept his eyes on the television.

"Yeah, I know so. You already make an exceptional lawman on the surface. You take your job seriously, and you would do anything to protect those under your care, even those who hate your kind. We weren't your responsibility, but you made us your responsibility," she said, brushing his hair from his face.

"It is my responsibility. Teach is my responsibility, and this is where he came. Maybe you do hate my kind, but that doesn't matter. It's our job to protect the innocent," he said and nodded slowly.

"Yes it is, no matter what, but… Luffy…" she started and bit into her lip once again, "I think you're special."

"What?" he asked in confusion and finally leaned his head back to look up at her.

Her cheeks flushed to his finally looking up at her, but then she nodded and whispered, "I'm not sure my kind would have done the same." Her expression actually saddened as she regarded him and admitted that.

He gazed back into her eyes silently for some time, but then he whispered, "I know… but my kind wouldn't have deserved it."

"You do," she whispered instantly, feeling her eyes filling with tears. "There has to be more, just like you down there, who would deserve it. The newest generation is innocent of the crimes of the previous one. _You_ are innocent, and you have proved to us that you're different from them."

He again gazed back at her silently with those intense, unblinking eyes, which seemed to be able to see right through her. Her cheeks once again flushed to his gaze, but then he finally lowered his head to stare off in the still silence. However, after a while, he finally whispered, "Thank you, Nami." He was silent again for a few seconds, but then he also whispered, "And thank you for standing up for me today and trying to protect me and…" He did not continue what he was saying, but she knew what he wanted to say. He wanted to thank her for comforting him when he had been so upset. She smiled to him softly, feeling those stubborn tears returning as well as strange emotions swirling around inside. She really was going to miss him, "And thank you for the ice cream - It was really amazing - and the pie too. I won't forget it."

"You're welcome, Luffy," she whispered, and suddenly, she really wanted to hug him again.

She bit right back into her lip again, sure she would leave a mark there, but she could not help it, nor could she help the flush across her cheeks. However, the flush spread when he slowly reached up and gently clasped her hand, which she had rested on his head. He brought it down and just held it, as if to show her his gratitude.

She looked up again to the movie, and this time, she was the one, who felt comforted. Perhaps both had found comfort within each other. She just smiled and relaxed more into the couch, curling her fingers tighter around his. Before long, both fell asleep, curled up close on the couch with their hands held tightly together.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'awwwww! So much fluff! Fluffy like the clouds under the sky cities! Makes me feel all warm and fluffy. :3 What did you guys think? :3 Please stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** Man, you guys still have a long way to go before the end… Makes me kind of sad, because I like the coming chapters. It means I have to be patient! D: I don't have patience! D: LAWL! And here I'm always getting after you guys, LAWL! I know… Such a hypocrite… X( Even so, I will remain patient. Even if I'm not patient, I still don't act on that impatience, or at least, I try not to, lawl. xD I might make another double post in the future, but not today. :) Please enjoy this chapter! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 18**

"Oh my," Nojiko said, standing before the couch with her hands on her hips, a smirk on her lips and a quirk of her perfect brow. 

She was highly amused by how the two had fallen asleep. Luffy was curled up on his side, and Nami was lying half over him, using his shoulder as a pillow. However, what amused her most was Nami's arm under Luffy's head, which he was using as his pillow, and both their hands were clasped tightly.

"Anyone seen Luffy?" Zoro asked as he came down the opposite hall, where the two spare rooms were located. Sanji and Law were already seated at the island.

"Uh, yeah, I have actually," Nojiko said, even more amused as her smirk widened. Since she had come out of the other hall, where hers and Nami's rooms were, she had seen them instantly on the couch together.

"Oh?" Zoro asked curiously, noting she was staring at the couch, and so he moved around it to get a look, but nearly stumbled back. "Whoa, what the fuck?" he asked, completely taken aback. Now, this was completely unexpected. 

"What? What is it?" Law asked curiously and slid off his stool to get a look. A smirk crossed his features, and he even chuckled. "Well, I'll be cast out of the skies. Seriously?" 

"What?" Sanji now asked with a frown and quickly went to look, but unlike them, he frowned. "Why the little bastard..!"

Snorting into chuckles, Zoro now looked amused by Sanji's annoyance. The curly brow always seemed to think he owned every woman in the skies. "Should we wake them? We do need to get going soon," Zoro asked, looking back up at Nojiko.

"Oh shit. Nami will be so embarrassed if she knew we were just gawking at them," Nojiko said with a chuckle, "but who knows how long they'd stay asleep. I wonder how late they were awake."

"Who knows? I know I had trouble getting to sleep last night. Luffy had been really upset last night. Maybe I should have given him a sleep aide," Law said and scratched his head. 

"And miss this? I don't think so," Nojiko said and chuckled deviously, but then she sighed deeply. "Though, honestly, I had a bit of trouble sleeping as well. I could have lost my sister. Even if we're not blood, she's all the family I've got. I don't know what I would have done without her." 

"I think we all had trouble. Yesterday was a shit day," Zoro said and sighed.

"Agreed," they all replied simultaneously.

"Well, embarrassed or not, we better wake them," Nojiko said and sighed exaggeratedly. She then reached out with both hands to give the sleeping pair a shake each. "Hey, wake up!"

Nami sucked in her breath, waking with a start and instantly looking up into all the eyes staring down at her. "What-?" she questioned in confusion.

Luffy groaned beneath her and curled more into himself, but muttered, sleepily, "Leave me alone."

Hearing the groan and the utterance, Nami looked down at Luffy and just blinked groggily. She could not comprehend what she was seeing, but then that was when she noticed their clasped hands. It then took her another few moments to realize they _were _clasped and that the others were there just staring at them. Sucking in her breath, she quickly took back her hand, and her cheeks instantly brightened with color. 

Luffy hummed questioningly to the sudden action and so finally opened his eyes slowly. "Damn it, is it morning already?" he muttered with a heartfelt sigh.

"Yup!" Zoro said with a smirk in his own amusement.

"Um, I-I better go and get ready," Nami muttered in a rush and stood to make a quick escape to her room. "Excuse me," she mumbled as she passed.

Luffy finally sat up, rubbing at his sleepy eyes and muttered, still sleepily, "Is it breakfast yet?" 

Nojiko chuckled softly as she affectionately rubbed over his head and said, "You're cute. I'll go make some breakfast real quick before I head to work." She then moved off to the kitchen to cook for everyone.

"Thanks, Nojiko," Luffy muttered and yawned.

"You should go and get ready," Zoro suggested with a chuckle. 

"Oh, yeah," Luffy grunted, but it took him several seconds before he finally stood and headed down the hall to do just that, completely oblivious.

When Nami came back out, she groaned to the smirk on her sister's face, and her cheeks flushed once again. "So, that's how it is, huh? You're into the short, dark and dangerous types? And let's not forget adorable," Nojiko asked and chuckled deviously again, absolutely amused at her sister's expense. 

"No," Nami replied immediately, "it's not what you think. We just talked about yesterday and other things. He was still upset about the poor child, who died yesterday and everything else. He was also just... grateful, is all." She sat down on a stool with a huff. 

"Grateful, huh?" Nojiko said and chuckled. "I think he can be pretty adorable. So, I don't blame you for falling for hi-" 

"Oh for crying out loud!" Nami exclaimed, interrupting Nojiko. "It's not like that!"

Zoro chuckled with a shake of his head and said, "He's pretty fucking unbelievable, is what he is. Shit, I wouldn't blame you either-"

"Oh, shut up!" Nami said, snatching up the kitchen towel to throw at him, making the green haired man laugh as he dodged it. 

"You sound pretty smitten yourself, you know. Are you sure you won't try and steal him from her?" Law asked and smirked at Zoro.

"You know, I just might," Zoro said, still laughing with a grin, and both Law and Nojiko laughed with him. 

"Don't be ridiculous! You can have him, Zoro!" Nami said and huffed out, though her cheeks were still lightly flushed. 

"What ridiculousness. Ms. Nami has more class than that. She needs a gentleman, who can care for her," Sanji said with a scoff. 

"Don't be stupid," Zoro countered and snorted to him.

"Look, I can find my own someone. I don't need any of you telling me what I do or don't need," Nami snapped, looking crabby and annoyed.

Just then, Luffy lumbered back into the main room, looking freshly showered and dressed. His hair was even still damp, but Nami noticed his bandage was coming undone, and she found herself flushing darker to the look of his damp hair. How strange.

"Is breakfast done?" Luffy asked, sitting on the only stool left, which was beside Nami. 

"Almost," Nojiko replied with a smirk and a chuckle. 

Deciding to ignore the others, Nami focused on the bandage under his left eye and said, "Luffy, your bandage." 

"Hmm? What about it?" he asked and reached up to touch the tips of his fingers to it.

"It's coming off," she replied, but then turned to Law. "Law-" she started, intending on asking him to see to it, but Law merely slid the needed items to her with a smirk, making both Zoro and Nojiko snicker.

"Here you go," he said and then turned away.

Nami instantly frowned to him, but then turned a glare to the other two offenders, but then she just huffed at them. What was important was replacing Luffy's bandage, and the one on his back probably needed it too. Taking the items, she turned back to Luffy and said, "Here, let me see." 

"Oh, yeah... Okay," he said and twirled on his stool to face her.

Carefully removing the old bandage, she frowned to how awful the cut still looked and said, "Looks like it's going to scar." 

"That's okay," Luffy said with a shrug. "I don't mind."

"I think you would look sexy with a scar, Luffy. Don't you think, Nami?" Nojiko asked and smirked to her sister again. She was enjoying this way too much.

"Wait, what?" Nami asked and frowned to her sister.

"Really?" Luffy asked innocently as he looked to Nojiko, but then he snickered. "I guess."

"Don't move!" Nami snapped irritably, and clutched his chin to make him face her again. Luffy just blinked to her with his big eyes, but tried not to move for her. "Close your eyes," she nearly snapped, and Luffy immediately did as he was told, almost afraid of repercussions if he did not obey. She seemed so angry! Nami sprayed the spray as well as spread the same gel as before to keep the cut bound together and disinfect it. Then she carefully placed a new bandage on it. "There… now let me see your back." With a nod, Luffy swirled in his stool and lifted his coat for her. She also patched that one up and stood to throw away the old bandages. "Done," she said as she moved past.

Luffy smiled to her softly and said, "Thanks, Nami."

"You're welcome," she replied quietly as she came back to sit and slid the gel back to Law, who placed it back within his pack with a smirk.

"Breakfast is ready!" Nojiko called as she served them all up and hurriedly ate her own. "I need to get to work!"

"And we need to continue our investigation. I need to call the night team and see if they came up with anything," Nami muttered as she turned and slipped off her stool after she finished eating. "Everyone else done?" she asked, beginning to collect their dishes.

"Yup!" Zoro said, sliding his plate to her and also sliding off his stool.

Everyone else slid their plates to her and she set them within the dish washer. "Let's go then," she said and headed for the door, the others following her. They desperately needed a new lead.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Lawl, awkward moments are fun. I lawled every time someone reviewed and talked about awkward moments and fun times, because you were right. :) Please stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** Crap! I just realized something! I totally lied, for one. I am double posting today, but only because I JUST remembered I won't be able to post tomorrow! I'm going to the Renaissance Festival tomorrow! :D I can't wait! Anyways, this is why I will post twice today. Sorry for not being able to post tomorrow, but I hope this makes up for it! I'll post again on Monday, I promise! :D I also just remembered this is another of my favorite chapters! xD So, enjoy it! :3 There's a surprise in it for you!

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 19**

"Okay, so the night Guards said they got a call in this morning from a grocery store owner about a suspicious man, who matches Teach's description," Nami said as she flew in the direction of the address given.

"Awesome, maybe we can get our lead back," Zoro said with a deep frown, still unhappy about the events from the day before.

"And hopefully, we won't be too late this time," Luffy added with a sigh.

"Yes, here is hoping that too," Law muttered as he frowned out of his window.

"Here we are," Nami muttered as she landed the vehicle within a designated spot, and everyone filed out. "Ah, there's Robin," she said as the other woman also exited her vehicle. "Good morning, Robin."

"Good morning," Robin called with a kind smile to them all.

"Morning, Robin!" Luffy called with a snicker, making the woman smile more brightly.

"Good morning, Luffy!" she called with a chuckle. The young man's bright smile always seemed to brighten her day.

Nami bit into her lip and felt a tug at her heart, but she was not sure why. Robin always seemed so genuinely happy to see Luffy each day and this in turn always seemed to make him happy. They always looked so much brighter after greeting each other. She half expected the woman to just hug him, or at least, that was the feeling she got every time the woman smiled at him so brightly. She was not sure why this left her with a strange feeling, but it did. Since she did not understand it, she decided not to pursue the thought any longer.

"So, shall we?" she muttered and turned to head for the entrance, and they all just followed.

Sanji reached for the door to open for the women, but a cry came from inside. "No! Please, someone stop him!" a woman called from within the store.

Just then, a blonde man wearing a hat ran out through the door, knocking Sanji as well as the women down and shoving Zoro away. Luffy dodged quickly and with lightning speed, reached out and clutched the back of his shirt. The blonde man bungeed back, lost his balance and fell. What he was carrying fell to the ground with him as well as his hat.

"Hey!" he cried and immediately looked up at Luffy, but gasped as his eyes widened to the sight of his collar.

"Nice catch," Zoro said and smirked to Luffy as he righted himself.

"Thanks," Luffy said, staring down at the young blonde man.

"How dare you push ladies aside, you mongrel?" Sanji exclaimed as he picked himself up to help both Robin and Nami up.

"Oh, thank you so much! That man is a thief," a woman with long light blonde hair said as she came to the door. She wore a short pink dress with dark roses etched into it. However, as she saw Luffy, holding said thief, she gasped and quickly stepped back.

"A thief?" Luffy asked as he looked down at the now struggling man, but he could not budge with the hold Luffy had on his shirt. Giving a sniff, Luffy muttered, "He smells."

"Wha-What did you say, carrier asshole?" the man exclaimed, looking extremely offended to what he said.

"Oh, does he? Well, mongrels usually do," Sanji said and scoffed.

"He's not a mongrel," Luffy said calmly as he looked over the young man as well as the items he stole, and then he looked over his torn, tattered and dirty clothes, "he's homeless and hungry," he said, much more softly. He then looked to the one person he felt he could really rely on. "Nami," he called to her in that same soft tone.

Smiling to him, Nami nodded to him in understanding and then turned to the scared woman as well as the bald, bearded man behind her, who had just stepped up. She then offered them some currency and asked, "Would this be enough to cover it?"

"Um, yes," the woman said, blinking back at the woman as well as to the carrier.

"I don't need your pity!" the blonde man said, looking even more offended by this carrier.

"No, but you do need the food and you were desperate enough to steal it, so which is worse, stealing it from these innocent people or allowing us to at least buy you a meal?" Luffy asked and tilted his head to the man.

The man swallowed down, looking torn for the answer, but decided not to give him one at all. He gathered up the food he dropped as well as his hat to put back on his head, but then he wilted and muttered, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. You should eat. What's your name?" Luffy asked, finally releasing his shirt.

Understanding he would not be able to run, the man moved to sit against the wall and did as Luffy suggested. He tore into the bags and boxes of food and ate as if he was starving, which he was. "Name's Sabo," he said with his mouth full and then looked up at Luffy. "What's your story? What's a carrier doing up here?"

Luffy smiled and squatted down before him. "It's nice to meet you, Sabo. I'm Luffy, and I came up here to try and help your people. There's a dangerous man, a carrier like me, who intends to hurt people."

"Wait, you mean that guy responsible for blowing up sector three in Heart City?" Sabo asked, his eyes wide.

"Yup, that's the one. Do you know anything about him?" Luffy asked and tilted his head to him.

"No, wish I did. Else I'd be able to collect the reward money," Sabo said and sighed deeply.

"How come you're homeless?" Luffy asked, much too curious.

Sabo just shrugged and said, "My father wanted a certain life for me, but I wanted nothing to do with it. When I refused to comply, he kicked me out and made my adopted brother, Stelly, his heir instead. I don't care. I prefer this than what he wanted for me."

Luffy smiled brightly and said, "You fought for your freedom, and that's what matters. You look pretty strong. Think you could take me on?"

Looking up at him curiously as he chewed, Sabo swallowed and asked, "Seriously?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said as he jumped to his feet and took steps back. "When you're done eating, come at me!"

Blinking up at him, Sabo then smirked, setting his food aside – he could eat it later – and quickly stood. "Yeah, all right!" he said and got into a fighting position. "All right, here I come!" he said and surged towards Luffy.

"W-Wait a minute, Luffy! We're here for a reason, and this is a public street!" Nami exclaimed as she gaped at the two, but neither paid her any mind, and Zoro, Sanji and Law did not seem inclined to stop it. Instead, they watched on with interest.

Luffy easily dodged, getting in a few jabs and kicks in, and Sabo moved swiftly, even getting in some as well. The fight seemed to draw the attention of all those walking about, and so a crowd was drawn. Sabo paused and jumped back. "Not bad! You're really good; about as good as they said carriers are! If I had a staff, I'd be so much better!"

"Shishishi! You're pretty good even without it! You know, you would make a really good Battle-Guard!" Luffy said and grinned back at the other man.

Now, everyone was just curious. At first, the fight had frightened them a bit, until they realized the fight was not real. Not to mention, the carrier was grinning so brightly. He did not look dangerous at all, and he seemed in perfect control. This just made the crowd of people even more curious about him.

"A Battle-Guard? You really think so?" Sabo asked, looking a bit surprised.

"Yeah, you're really strong!" Luffy said and snickered again, but then he looked over to Zoro and asked, "What do you think, Zoro?"

Zoro smirked lazily and said, "I have to agree. Headquarters is always looking for new recruits, and I'm sure the academy would have no trouble accepting him for training."

"Really?" Sabo asked more quietly as he looked between Luffy and Zoro. He looked a bit surprised that the Battle-Guard was actually going with what the carrier said. It was almost as if they were friends, but clearly the carrier was a prisoner, and yet, he moved about so freely.

"I have to agree, but maybe if we got you a little cleaned up," Sanji said with a nod and a smile.

"See? You could do it! Instead of stealing from people, you would be protecting and guarding them," Luffy said with a much calmer chuckle.

A slight smile twitched at the corner of Sabo's lips, but then he nodded and said, "Yeah, I think I would much prefer that."

"As long as we put in a good word for you, you shouldn't have any problems getting accepted," Zoro said and smiled as well.

"That… would be great! Thanks so much!" Sabo said, looking much brighter as he grinned widely.

"We have something to take care of first, but then after, maybe we can take you to the headquarters," Zoro said and nodded his head to the side towards the grocery store.

"I would appreciate that," Sabo said with a chuckle as he quickly moved to grab the rest of his food and sat down to finish it.

"We'll wait out here, Nami, while Sabo finishes his food," Luffy said and went to squat down beside him again. The crowd could only stare at Luffy in utter amazement. Was this man really a carrier? He did not seem at all like one. He was so friendly and it seemed, even compassionate.

Zoro chuckled and nodded to Nami as he also went to sit. Nami smiled very softly to Luffy, but she nodded and said, "All right." Those same emotions began stirring within her once again. What did they really mean? Ignoring the feelings again, Nami turned to the two still standing within the grocery store and said, "I apologize for that. I am Intel-Guard Nami, and this is Intel-Guard Robin. We actually came in regards to the man you saw this morning."

"Oh, yes, of course. My name is Conis, and this is my father Pagaya," the blonde woman said as she pressed a hand to her chest and then motioned to the man beside her. "The man pictured came in and bought some of our pies, but then he just left. He headed in that direction," she said and pointed to her left.

"Was he carrying anything with him; a pack perhaps?" Robin asked and frowned softly.

"A pack?" she asked, touching a finger to her lips, but then her eyes brightened. "Oh, yes! He was, but…" she slowly began to frown, "I don't think he had it when he left…"

Nami gasped, her eyes growing wider, and she quickly looked to Luffy. "Luffy!"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** It means you're falling in love, DUH! *Scoffs* Man! Some people-Oh sorry! I got carried away! D: Lawl, what'd you think of my surprise!? :3 I love Sabo! I hope we get to see him again soon! I am still so sad about… So, uh oh! We've got another bomb! D: Can they disarm it in time, or will it blow everyone up to smithereens? D: Stay tuned for the next chapter… which you won't get until Monday! :D


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** Okay, so guess what!? Haha, I guess you don't have to guess! xD Yeah, so I didn't think I would have time to post a chapter, but I woke up too early! xD So, I had some time to read over the chapter and post it! I guess you guys just got a double post yesterday, lawl! xD Anyways, enjoy this chapter! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 20**

Understanding the urgency of Nami's call, Luffy stood up instantly and went to her. "What is it?" he asked her in a no nonsense voice.

"Teach left a pack here somewhere!" Nami exclaimed, but then looked to the woman and her father. "Evacuate your store immediately!" she said and then tuned to Zoro. "Tell all the civilians to clear the area!"

"On it!" Zoro said and quickly moved to do just that.

"I can help!" Sabo cried as he jumped to his feet and joined Zoro, Sanji and Law as they began ordering the civilians to go to a safe distance away from the store.

"Let's search the inside!" Luffy said to Nami and Robin, who both nodded as the civilians began to hurry out after they were told to evacuate. All three rushed inside and began searching eagerly for the pack. Soon, they were joined by Zoro and Sanji, while Law and Sabo made sure the civilians stayed back.

After a while, Zoro called out, "Here!"

Luffy quickly rushed to him and swallowed hard. He nodded hard and said, "Get as far away as you think is safe, all of you."

"Wait a minute! What are you thinking, Luffy? We're not going anywhere!" Nami said, feeling fear slowly engulfing her to his words.

"It's dangerous!" Luffy said and slowly unzipped it. The time was set for hours from then, which made him release his breath in relief, but they were not out of danger yet.

"That son of a bitch set it for this evening, when the building would be full of civilians shopping after work," Zoro growled as he scowled down at the bomb, "just like he did for the one at the park…"

Grinding his teeth, Luffy looked over the bomb as well as all the wires inside and said, "Leave! I'm going to try and disarm it."

"Do you know how to do that?" Zoro asked, looking up at him.

"Somewhat. It seems similar to the ones he made before," Luffy said and nodded slowly.

"Good, then disarm it. We're staying right here," Zoro said and nodded as well.

"I will not disarm it, until you all leave!" Luffy exclaimed as he frowned up at him.

"Then I guess we'll be waiting here until it goes off, because we're not leaving," Nami whispered, though she sounded terrified. However, like Zoro, she did not wish to leave him.

"We're not leaving you here alone, Luffy," Sanji said, frowning stubbornly back at him.

Robin knelt down to study the bomb in fascination, ignoring the others and in no way looking as if she was willing to leave either. "This is amazing. One of these has not been seen since the surface, and there are only books about it. Destructive weapons like this, sharp weapons or projectile weapons are illegal here now, even if we used them against your people down there. The closest things to weapons we have are blunt or electrical, but only enough power to stun."

"Is this really the time for a history lesson?" Zoro asked her calmly with a quirk of his brow, but Robin just smiled at him.

"Damn it, it could explode if I try and disarm it!" Luffy exclaimed, looking more and more worried. He did not want them to die with him.

"Then I guess you had better get it right," Nami whispered, staring intently back into his own intense stare as he gazed right back at her.

Taking heaving breaths, Luffy then growled as he turned back around to look it over. "Do you have something I could cut with?"

"Here," Zoro said, removing some small cutters from within his belt and handing it to him.

Blowing out air through his lips, Luffy looked over each wire carefully, already beginning to sweat a bit and dug into his memories all he could remember about Teach's explosives from before. "This one," Luffy whispered after a while, pointing to a wire with the cutters. "I think it's this one."

"Then cut it, and hopefully, we don't blow the fuck up," Zoro muttered, also beginning to sweat as he looked on intently. In the next moment, they could all very well die.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Nami whispered, as if afraid to speak any louder.

"No," Luffy replied and made a face. "It's a bit different than I remember, but… I'm pretty sure this one is it. If I'm wrong, we all just die. No big deal…"

Zoro snorted into laughter, and Sanji smirked. Zoro knew it was inappropriate to laugh, but it was kind of funny, despite the stressful situation, and he could not help it. Nami smacked Luffy's shoulder and said, "This is no time for jokes!"

Luffy chuckled tightly, but then he nodded and took another breath, though it quivered in his nervousness. "Okay, I'm going to cut it," he whispered and slipped the cutters into place. "I just want you all to know, besides Ace, you're the only friends I have, and I'm really happy to have met you."

Zoro smiled to him and said, "We're really happy to have met you too, Luffy."

"Very happy!" Robin said and smiled. "I would like to continue being friends; that is, if we're not blown into little pieces and left with no bodies to bury."

"That ain't right," Zoro said, just staring at the woman, but she merely smiled at him.

"I'd like that too," Luffy said, smiling brightly.

"You can be a bit rough, but I would definitely like to keep this friendship, so please don't blow us up," Sanji said and nodded, keeping his smirk. He then lit up a cigarette, since it might be the last one he would ever smoke. Luffy chuckled to this, feeling happy, but Nami had not said anything, which made his smile diminish, and then she finally spoke.

"I… I'm really happy to have met you as well, Luffy. I know that I… gave you a hard time at first, but… despite what history has said about your kind, you've proven to be… well… pretty amazing," she said, causing her cheeks to flush. Why did it sound worse than how she intended it to? "E-Even if we live through this… and even if you're forced to go back to the surface or… if our superiors decide to… lock you up… I would also wish to continue being friends, even if we can no longer see each other. We'll do our best for you, Luffy. Whatever they decide, we'll fight for you."

Luff blinked and then turned to look at her over his shoulder. He felt his heart flutter, and he felt a happiness within him rise higher than it ever had before. Very slowly, he smiled to her the brightest he ever had before and said softly, "I would really like that too, Nami."

She smiled back to him softly with a nod and said, "So, don't cut the wrong wire."

Losing some of his smile, but not all of it, Luffy laughed nervously with a nod of his head and turned back to the wire. His instincts were telling him this was the right wire, and so he cut it. The timer on the clock stopped, and then the entire bomb powered down. Each one of them released a breath in relief, but then Zoro began to laugh. "What a fucking rush!" he said through his laughter.

Luffy also began to laugh and said, "Yeah, it was! That was amazing!"

"Best damned cigarette I've ever smoked," Sanji said with a smile and blew out the smoke, but his hand was shaking slightly. Robin merely chuckled to this with a bright smile.

"It was not amazing! That was really scary!" Nami exclaimed, appalled by their enthusiasm about the previous situation.

"Then you shouldn't have stayed!" Luffy said and snickered to her.

"And left you here to die alone? I don't think so!" Nami exclaimed, but then Luffy reached up to clasp her hand, making her suck in her breath as she gazed down at him.

"Thank you, Nami; all of you," Luffy said, looking to the other three. "It means a lot to me that you were willing to stay with me."

"Of course, Luffy, we're friends," Zoro said and smirked.

"That's right," Robin said and smiled to him softly as she tilted her head at him.

"There was no way we could leave your sorry ass," Sanji said and chuckled, giving him a nudge with his foot. "Now seriously, let go of Ms. Nami's hand before I _kick_ your sorry ass."

"We stick together," Nami said much quieter than the other two, but instead of letting go, she clasped Luffy's hand tighter. "We're going to finish this together."

Luffy smiled to her much more softly as he gave her hand a squeeze as well and nodded. "We'll finish this together."

"We should head to headquarters to turn this in as well as the new recruit," Zoro said with a chuckle as he stood to head out with Robin and Sanji.

"Ah, yeah! Sabo needs to become a Battle-Guard!" Luffy said, finally releasing her hand and lifting up the pack carefully to carry out.

Why did Nami feel again as if something significant had just happened, but it did not seem so to Luffy? For some reason, she felt a bit empty, but that was just silly. Nothing significant had happened, and so she stood to join the others outside.

"Did you find it?" Law asked from where he and Sabo stood, making sure the civilians stayed where they were, though the civilians were all looking on curiously still.

"Yup! And we disarmed it!" Luffy said and lifted the pack a little higher to show him.

"We? Don't you mean you?" Zoro asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, but you all stayed with me!" Luffy said and snickered with a grin.

"Wait, seriously? You disarmed it? Isn't that dangerous?" Sabo asked, gaping back at them, completely disbelieving.

"Yup! We could have died!" Luffy said and laughed to this.

"You're just lucky you didn't blow up the two most gorgeous women in the world, or I would have had to kick your ass," Sanji said with a nod and a purse to his lips.

"I did tell them to leave, but they didn't want to, like you, and besides, you wouldn't have been able to kick my ass. We would have been dead," Luffy said, looking bright as he smiled and laughed.

"They… didn't?" Sabo asked, looking to the four, who came out with him. They had all been willing to stay and die with him?

"Everything worked out! Come on, let's go back to headquarters!" Luffy said with a snicker as he turned to head back to the vehicle.

"I will ride with you and the thief, Robin. I don't trust him completely," Sanji muttered as he approached Robin.

Robin smiled to him with a nod and said, "As you wish."

Then everyone headed off, leaving the crowd of people speechless. Seriously, was this man really a carrier? The Guards looked so comfortable with him, and they even seemed to be friends. He moved about so freely, and was even telling them what they should do, to which they just followed without question. It even seemed the carrier disarmed the bomb, which meant he saved lives. They were all so confused.

X X X X

As Nojiko made her way home for lunch, she took in a deep breath of the fresh air. She enjoyed living close to her job. It was relaxing being able to go home during her lunch hour. Just before she reached her building, she gave a squeal as she was suddenly pulled into the alleyway beside it. A hand roughly clamped over her mouth, and she was slammed against the wall of the opposite building.

"If you scream or make any sudden movements, I will kill you," that same freckled faced man from before said in a harsh voice.

When she should have appeared afraid, she blinked back at him and chuckled behind his hand. Blinking in confusion, Ace regarded the woman as if she was insane and even took a step back. Reaching up, she clutched his hand to remove it and said, "No you won't, Ace."

"Wait, what?" he asked, now just looking down right shocked, but then he frowned. "How do you know my name?"

"How else would I know it? Luffy told me. You're looking for him, right? Are you hungry? Come on up, I was just about to make some lunch anyway. I'll make you something," she said, pushing against his chest to make him move, so she could pass. Pausing at the entrance, she smiled and nodded her head to the side. "You can wait there until Luffy returns tonight with the others," she said and disappeared.

Ace could only gape after the woman, but then he finally followed after her. He glanced from side to side before looking at her. She was at the entrance waiting for him. "Come on, don't be scared," she said and offered him a smirk. "I won't bite."

His expression shifted to incredulity, but then maybe to interest, and then he finally moved towards her. This woman had to be crazy-intriguing, but crazy.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Bahaha! Ace and Nojiko are fun. xD So, what did you guys think? They were all willing to blow up with Luffy, just so he wouldn't be alone? D'aww, right in the feels! ;u; Haha, hope you guys liked it! Please stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note:** Woot! The Renaissance Festival was awesomesauce and so much fun! :D My friends bought me a corset! However, one of the clasps already broke, and so I am so sad. ;_; Anyways, here's the next chapter for you guys! Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 21**

When they all returned back to Nami's apartment, completely empty-handed and disheartened, despite the disarming and since they had no other leads, they were not at all expecting who greeted them as soon as they entered.

"Yo," Ace greeted with a lazy smile as he looked at them over the back of the couch from where he sat, watching the television with Nojiko, though she was in the kitchen making dinner for everyone.

"A-Ace!" Luffy exclaimed, looking completely in shock, but at the same time, happy to see his brother. Very slowly, he finally began to smile and quickly moved into the room. "What-What're you doing here?"

Chuckling softly, Ace stood to greet his brother, slapping his hand into his and pulling him into a half hug. "I got tired of sleeping on the streets, while you were living in the lap of luxury! It wasn't fair!" he replied with a bigger grin.

"Yeah! Isn't Nami and Nojiko's place awesome?" Luffy exclaimed with his own grin and snickered.

"It sure the hell is!" Ace said, indeed looking impressed.

Nami quickly moved over to her sister with a look of horror and called in a quiet hiss, "Nojiko! What's going on?"

"He threatened to kill me, so I made him lunch," Nojiko said with a smirk and snickered as well, though she did not keep her voice down. Hearing Nojiko, Luffy burst into laughter, completely amused by what she said.

"What?" Nami exclaimed loudly.

"Relax, Nami. I knew he wasn't going to kill me," Nojiko said and laughed.

Ace chuckled as well and said, "I figured she recognized me from when I bumped into her, and so I thought to use the fear against her, but she wasn't afraid of me at all. When she offered lunch, she told me all about you, and that you told them all about me. I'm just surprised I wasn't reported." He smacked the back of his hand to Luffy's chest.

"Yeah, I tried using that fear against someone too, but that made Nami mad, so I can't do it anymore, shishishi!" Luffy said, but he looked as if he did not mind. "Nojiko got taken in, because of your blood, and she did remember you! She told us about you, and so I told them about you!"

"Hey, why did you tell them about me? They _could_ have reported me!" Ace said and pursed his lips.

"Yeah, but Nami didn't!" Luffy said, grinning widely and looking very happy, possibly even proud.

"Let me guess. Since you suck at lying, they saw right through you, right?" Ace said, glaring at Luffy in some annoyance. Luffy laughed nervously and glanced to the side. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Ace said and shook his head at him. He then looked down, poking the collar at his neck and asked, "And what's with this weird accessory? It has our initial on it."

"Ah, yeah," Luffy said, looking down at the collar, "it's to show everyone… who I am. I'm not allowed to take it off."

"Wait, not allowed?" Ace asked and frowned. "Yeah, I figured the sky dwellers would give you a warm welcoming," he growled sarcastically.

"We wish he didn't have to wear it, but it's our superiors' orders," Nami said and frowned at him softly.

"Ace, I want you to meet everyone," Luffy said, ignoring what his brother said and clutched his arm to lead him to the others. "Ace, this is Zoro. He's a Battle-Guard and Sanji too. They're lawmen up here, like we are on the surface. And this is Law. He's a Med-Guard. He takes care of injured people," he said and each nodded their head to Ace and greeted him. Then he pulled Ace over to Nami and said, a little more softly, "And this is Nami, Nojiko's sister. She's an Intel-Guard. She's smart!"

Nami blinked to this and her cheeks flushed lightly, but then smiled nervously to Ace and said, "It's nice to meet you, Ace."

"Nojiko told me about her. She's pretty too," Ace said and nodded.

Luffy cleared his throat to Ace's rudeness and said, "Say hi…"

"Hi?" Ace asked, looking over to Luffy as if he had grown a second head.

"Yeah, you greet people you are introduced to. You say hi, or if they say, it's nice to meet you, you say the same thing. You say, it's nice to meet you too," Luffy said and pouted to him.

"Did you get that from your damned books?" Ace asked, quirking a brow at Luffy.

Frowning up at Ace, Luffy sighed and said, "Yes, I did…"

"Books?" Nami asked curiously as she regarded Luffy.

"Ah, yeah," Luffy said, shifting his eyes to the side and rubbing the back of his head. "There are a lot of books within your abandoned libraries. I like reading them to pass the time," he muttered, looking a bit embarrassed.

"He reads too damn much, if you ask me," Ace muttered with a scoff.

"And you don't read enough, if _you_ ask _me_," Nojiko said and smirked to Ace.

Luffy snorted into snickers and grinned. "He should."

"There's nothing wrong with learning some manners. Like, for instance, learning to say, excuse me, when you bump into someone," Nojiko said and smirked wider.

"Nojiko," Nami called to her in reprimand and frowned.

Ace just smirked in return to her and said, "Ah, right. I am so sorry for that." He then mockingly bowed to her.

"Hey," Luffy called, and now it was his turn to smack Ace's arm with the back of his hand.

"What?" Ace said and frowned back at Luffy.

"So, why are you really here?" Luffy asked, just pouting at his brother.

"Because I found Teach," Ace said, now just lifting his brow to his brother's pout. "I tracked you to tell you."

"What?" nearly everyone exclaimed at once.

"Yeah, while you were playing these sky dwellers' prisoner and wearing their fancy shit," he motioned to the collar and uniform, "I was actually doing my job."

"I _was_ doing my job! We disarmed one of his bombs today!" Luffy exclaimed, looking greatly offended.

"Oh yeah, that. I noticed he left the pack when I was tailing him," Ace said and shrugged, causing everyone to gape at him, completely appalled.

"And you didn't do anything about it?" Luffy nearly yelled as he frowned to his brother.

"Like what? I had to keep a low profile. I couldn't have the sky dwellers finding me, and I don't know enough about those things like you do," Ace said and shrugged again. "Besides, I knew you would find it, and now we can stop him before he plants another. Oh yeah, and let's not mention, I couldn't lose my trail on Teach, or we would be disarming more of his bombs."

"Where is he?" Luffy asked in the same harsh tone he used against Lily, and his frown darkened.

Hearing that voice again and seeing his face, Nami shuddered and again got the urge to hug herself. The look and most of all, the voice always reminded her just who he really was. Frowning softly, she called to him in a calm and soothing voice, "Luffy..." She did not want to hear that voice or see that face. 

Calming almost instantly, Luffy looked over to her, and then he looked down, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "S-Sorry..." he muttered to her quietly.

"It's all right," she replied to him softly and then smiled to him. "I know he makes you angry, but remember, if you become too angry, the collar..."

"Oh, right," Luffy muttered and looked down at it.

"The collar? What about it?" Ace asked and frowned to the thing.

"If I wander too far from them or become too angry, it shocks me," Luffy muttered and slowly began to frown softly.

"Seriously?" Ace asked and frowned deeply, looking angry. "Fuck these high and mighty sky dwellers. Why not just break it off?"

Nami bit her lip and frowned to this, but she looked over to Luffy to hear his reply. Luffy also frowned angrily as he looked up at Ace and said, "I'm not going to do that, Ace. I'm going to do this their way. They're relying on us to stop Teach. I want them to trust us!" 

"Who gives a shit about their trust, especially when they treat you like some dog?" Ace exclaimed loudly in his own anger. "Just forget about them! We can let these sky dwellers deal with their own, just like how you wanted! But we don't have to take this shit! Take that shit off, and let's go get Teach, so we can go home!" 

"W-Wait!" Nami cried in a near panic, which, in the back of her mind, surprised her. She did not want Luffy to leave.

Ace quickly looked over to hear with an angered glare, clearly unhappy at her for speaking up as if she could refuse him, and he was not about to let her. With that anger directed at her, Nami sucked in her breath in alarm, feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise in warning. She could actually sense the danger, but then she gasped when Luffy moved so quickly to block Ace off from her, even knocking a stool over from how quickly he had moved.

In a strange way, it was almost like watching a predatory animal defending its territory from another dangerous predator. Luffy even gave a bit of a growl as he scowled to his brother. "Watch it!" he growled out in that same harsh tone as before. 

"No, Luffy!" Nami cried and even reached out to him, but cried out, when he did.

His knees buckled, and he reached up to the collar as pain shot through his body. "Luffy!" Ace cried as he reached out, intending on ripping the thing of from him.

"No!" Luffy yelled, shoving him away. "No, don't! I'm fine!"

"What do you mean, you're fine? You're not fine! Look at you!" Ace yelled and pointed to him.

"I said I'm fine! I don't need you to baby me, Ace!" Luffy yelled right back, but he forced himself to calm. He took deep breaths and said, "It stays. I'm doing this my way." 

"You mean their way, and when these fuckers stab you in the back, I'll be there to say I told you so," Ace said, still looking just as angry.

"N-No!" Nami cried as she shook her head. "We would never do that to him!"

"And are you really so sure? I'm not leaving my brother's life in your hands, woman," Ace growled back at her.

"Leave her alone, damn it!" Luffy growled harshly, trying to keep himself calm, and then he stood up. "You can, and you will. I trust Nami, and I trust them," he said, pointing to the three still standing off to the side, "And I trust Robin and Nojiko. I trust them, and they trust me."

"Yeah, but they answer to someone else, and that someone else makes all the orders. Who do you think they'd betray first, their superiors or some carrier from the surface?" Ace exclaimed, looking almost incredulous to his brother.

"We won't betray Luffy," Nami said with conviction, and now it was her turn to frown angrily at Ace.

"Is that so?" Ace snapped at her.

"It's so," Zoro replied strongly, glaring back at Ace with his arms crossed tightly. It took a lot for him to stay put, while Luffy fought alone against his brother, but he knew it was something Luffy had to do. He knew Ace would not listen to them, but he would to his brother. 

Ace looked over to him now, as well as the other two, who had the same look of conviction on their faces. "So, you're trying to tell me you'd fight your own for my brother?" 

"I'm trying to tell you we'd fight for him," Zoro confirmed with a firm nod.

"Zoro," Luffy called weakly as his lips pressed tightly together. He was extremely moved by the other man saying he would fight for him. 

"That's bullshit," Ace said, still unbelieving they would do any such thing. 

"It's not bullshit," Law said, finally having had enough as well. "Luffy sacrificed a lot to come up here to warn us, and you did too. He even nearly died twice trying to protect us sky dwellers, so you'd better fucking believe it that we'd sacrifice for him."

"Maybe the lot of you _are_ uncouth, but you have honor. Luffy has plenty of honor, and we respect that," Sanji said, glaring at Ace lazily and with annoyance. 

"He even cried for those of us, who were lost yesterday. And today, when he disarmed the bomb, we did not leave him, even if it meant we could have died with him. We're willing to die with him, so yes, we would fight for him," Nami said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Just as he is willing to die for us, we would die for him." 

"Damn straight," Zoro, Sanji and Law said at the same time. 

Ace was something akin to shock. These sky dwellers were serious. They were really serious. He really could not fathom it, even though he was looking right at it. These sky dwellers really did care about his little brother. "Well, I'll be damned," he managed to whisper in his slight speechlessness.

Luffy had lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly, feeling as the emotions overwhelmed him. He felt truly happy in that moment, and it was almost too much for him. "Everyone," he whispered, watching as the floor below him blurred, "thank you."

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Note:** D'aww, Luffy! Quick, someone hug him! ;_; They would fight for Luffy! Would you? :3 I would! K3 Please stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **Mmkay, so like… I swear I had something to say, but now that I'm here… I got nothin'… Oh right! Now I remember, lawl! So, I heard a new song-Yeah, I know! I've come to realize this has become dangerous. Anyways, it's given me new ideas! I've already got another AU fic storming around in my head! D: However, I really can't afford to start another fic yet. X( I really, really, really need to get back to reading my own. I've been reading it out loud to my hubby to edit it better. He's also been really into the Mass Effect trilogy too, so that's been a problem. Anyways, perhaps when I get more time, I can start on it. Oh, and by the way, the song is by Lindsey Stirling, and it's called Elements, but the Dracula version. It's a song for the new Dracula series coming out this month. xD Anyways, song is AMAZING! It's an orchestral song. Give it a listen. :) I won't keep you any longer! Please enjoy this chapter! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 22**

Ace grunted when he realized his little brother had become emotional. He was used to it. He then reached out to place a hand on his head and said, "All right, I understand, Luffy. You know I'm just trying to look out for my little brother."

Luffy sniffled and nodded his head quickly. He then rubbed his arm over his eyes to dry them. "Yeah, I know," he muttered and finally looked up at him, "but I promise you can trust them."

Ace nodded slowly and said, "And you know I'll always look after you." 

Luffy smiled to him brightly and nodded again. "And I'll always looked after you too, Ace." 

Ace grinned back and said, "That's right! Because that's what brothers do."

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed and then suddenly blinked and said, "Oh yeah! I forgot about Teach! Where is he?"

"Ah, right... About that," Ace said and rubbed over his head.

"What about it?" Nami asked, though she still looked concerned for Luffy as she glanced to him. 

"We can't go to where he is," Ace said and frowned as well.

"What? Why not?" Sanji asked, looking less than pleased.

"Yeah, why not?" Zoro asked, just looking confused. 

"Uh, explosives expert, that's why," Ace replied, as if that said it all. 

"Huh?" Zoro asked, looking even more confused.

"Oh, right... That is a problem," Luffy said with a grunt. 

"Wait, it is? Why?" Law asked, also looking a bit confused. 

"Because, wherever he's at, it's probably highly populated and he most likely has the entire place rigged with explosives," Luffy explained, looking highly concerned. "So, if we come after him, he'll set the charges and boom… Lots of people die with him. He knows we won't risk that many people." 

"No, not most likely or probably, he is and he does. I watched him do it," Ace said and crossed his arms. "We'll have to stake him out and wait for him to venture out to make the next placement. He'll most likely be strapped down with explosives, just in case. We'll have to figure out a way to subdue him or trick him, which shouldn't be too hard. He's a dumb fuck. Wait and he's a coward. There's no way he'd blow himself up."

"Well, can you at least tell us where he is, so we can send over a night team to stake it out and report if Teach makes a move?" Zoro asked and quirked a brow.

"Yeah, I can do that," Ace said, giving Zoro the appropriate information, and Zoro made the call, saying it was an anonymous tip from a contact.

"Okay, that's taken care of. A team is on their way to the location. They'll let us know if anything changes," Zoro said with a nod.

"Good," Luffy said with a nod as well, and then he said, "and then next, we'll find Enel. Teach should lead us right to him." 

"I don't understand. Why would Enel want this?" Nami asked, looking deep in thought, but very concerned.

"Who knows? It could be anything," Law muttered, leaning back against the wall and staring off.

"He's going down regardless," Sanji growled, looking angry. 

"Maybe he's just psycho and likes watching people suffer," Ace said with a scoff. "That's how Teach is."

"It's true," Luffy muttered in agreement in that same harsh tone. "I think he needs to be put down this time."

"Luffy," Nami whispered immediately and reached out to clutch his hand, though she did so, unconsciously. Looking over to her with his frown, which startled her a bit, and seeing her concern, Luffy dropped the frown and looked down.

Feeling calmer, he looked back up at her and whispered, "I mean it. It should have been done the first time when we first caught him. Only about four people died on the surface, so we locked him up, but over a dozen people died this time, and he's trying to kill more. We can't risk more lives." 

She felt her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed back at him, but then she finally whispered, "Maybe, but maybe it won't have to come to that, and… if you had put him down, we would never have met you. Though, that sounds as if I'm saying lots of people had to die, just so we could meet. That's not what I meant, I just…" Her words trailed off, and she bit into her lip, though her eyes were still swimming with her tears. She did not want to think about never meeting him.

He smiled to her in a way that made her cheeks flush and whispered, "Maybe it won't, and you're right, I never would have met you... or anyone here."

He then reached up to gently dry her tears, which made her flush harder, but strangely, the action also made her cry harder. The tears finally fell, but more and more followed. She did not understand. She was so confused. It hurt so much inside to see that smile and to feel the gentleness of his hand on her cheek as well as the caress of his thumb. It hurt!

Choking on a sob and gasping out for air, she lifted a hand to try and hide it, and Luffy's face fell. He was just as confused by her sudden sadness, but he reacted on instinct and pulled her into his arms, like she had done for him, only she wrapped her arms tight around him, just letting herself cry. 

"Nami?" Nojiko called in worry and nearly ran around the island to get to her. 

The conversation instantly ceased between the other four from discussing about what to do with Teach and looked over to her. "Ms. Nami, are you okay?" Sanji asked in his own concern.

"I'm fine," she called back with a sniffle, suddenly embarrassed, and so hid her flushed face within Luffy's neck. "Just... upset about it all... is all," she muttered within his neck.

Looking down at her, Luffy was convinced she was not telling the truth, but he did not say anything. Why was she suddenly so upset, if not because of Teach? "Are you sure you're okay?" he whispered to her, and for just a second, her arms tightened around him.

"Yes," she whispered, but he knew she was lying again, and then she finally released him. She turned away from everyone, keeping her head down and moved to her room. "Not feeling good. Going to lie down," she muttered as she walked and pulled her ponytail out to let her long, wavy hair loose.

After she disappeared down the hall, silence fell as all eyes were glued to the hall. "What in the skies was that?" Nojiko finally asked, looking greatly confused.

"She's_ your_ sister," Zoro muttered, still staring off after Nami.

"Maybe she's stressed. We haven't seen a case like this in... Well, ever," Law said, his brows dipping low to that thought.

"You sky dwellers are so tame," Ace said, shaking his head and the first to look away from the hall.

"We kind of like it that way. No violence," Sanji said and glared at him.

Ace chuckled and said, "No excitement." 

"It gets old," Luffy muttered, finally looking down and away from the hall. "It's fun when it's a friendly bout, but the senseless violence and fights gets old."

"I guess," Ace muttered and looked over to his brother, no stranger to his weird moods.

"I think what your race needs is a coliseum; a place to hold tournaments, where your kind can fight freely, but with rules, and if they can climb to the top, they win a prize and have the title of the strongest," Nojiko said pressing her hands into her hips.

Both Ace and Luffy were staring back at her with big eyes full of interest. "A tournament?" Luffy whispered in awe.

"The strongest?" Ace also whispered in awe. 

They then exchanged looks and said at the same time, "That would be awesome!"

"You guys are so simple and easy. Anyway, it would be a good way to keep the aggression down while outside the tournament grounds and give your kind something exciting to look forward to," Nojiko said and chuckled. "They have tournaments up here within the coliseum. They televise them for us to watch," she said and nodded to the television. "Maybe they'll show one tonight. We can watch it. If not, I'm sure I can get my hands on a video."

"That would be amazing! Thanks, Nojiko!" Luffy exclaimed, clasping her hand with both his and looking very excited. 

Nojiko chuckled and said, "You're welcome, Luffy. I'll look it up, and we can all watch it tonight. Let me finish up with dinner."

"I wouldn't mind that at all. I love watching those. I've been tempted to join before," Zoro said with a smirk and finally went to sit, the others following.

"Let's see if we can find something!" Luffy said, jumping over the couch to sit and grabbed for the remote. "How's this thing work?"

"Here," Law said, snatching it up as he sat beside him and began surfing. "Maybe we can find something."

"I wouldn't mind joining either," Sanji said and moved one of the plush chairs to face the television.

"You know, I wouldn't mind joining one of your tournaments," Zoro said and smirked over to Luffy.

"That would be awesome, but I would just beat you," Luffy said and smirked right back at him.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't give you an easy time of it," Zoro said and chuckled. He actually looked excited. It was too bad they would be separated again after this was over. This made him sigh.

"Maybe I could join yours here," Luffy said and snickered, but that was wishful thinking.

"Yeah right," Ace said and scoffed. "You'd give the sky dwellers heart attacks."

Zoro scoffed and said, "You're probably right." 

Down the hall and within her room, Nami could very vaguely hear them talking excitedly through the soundproofed walls and door. She lay down within her bed, the tears slowly falling, and she realized, she was not confused at all. She was already mourning her loss, and thinking about it hurt so much. Her heart was in pain, and the horrible pangs would not cease. Sniffling softly, she curled up tighter on her bed and clamped her eyes closed tight against the tears.

She realized they were close to finishing this, and that meant one thing. She did not want him to go. She did not want him taken away from her. She had meant what she said to Ace. She would fight for Luffy, and when the time came, that was exactly what she would do.

The realization had actually surprised her. It had not even been that long. Only three days had passed, and yet, she had grown irreversibly attached to him.

And in only three days, he had made her fall irreversibly in love with him... 

**To Be Continued...**

**Author's Note: **D'aww, Nami! ;_; Now she needs a hug! Any takers? xD Lawl, hopefully this won't fester! Everything gets nasty, when it festers! Anyways, please stay tuned for the next chapter! :3


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note:** **All right, so as a warning**, here's the reason for the M rating, lawl! It's not very detailed, like the one from _Faceless Mask_. Also, as a side note, I was able to get my corset fixed for free! How awesomesauce is that!? Anyways, I've held you long enough! Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 23**

Even during all the excitement of watching the coliseum fights with the others, and despite the great time he had with the others, as well as forgetting their troubles for a moment, he had not once forgotten about Nami. He was worried about her, and that night, when it was time for sleep, he could not stop thinking about her, and sleep would not find him. She had not even come out for dinner, and Nojiko had to take it to her.

Rolling to the side, Luffy peered down and noted Zoro was fast asleep and snoring softly. He then looked to the floor, where Ace was asleep, the other man also snoring softly. Quietly moving to the ladder, he climbed down to silently make his way out, over Ace, down the hall and across the large main room to the opposite hall. He bit his lip to the doors there, but recalled Nojiko entering into the first one. He skipped the door across it, figuring it was another bathroom, and then headed for the door at the end of the hall.

Looking beside it, he noted the circle outside of it and so pushed it. He could hear a vague beeping within and hoped she was not upset at him for waking her. After a while, the door slid open with her standing on the other side, wrapped tight within her robe. The light was still on, and she did not look as if she had been asleep.

"Luffy," she called in some surprise to seeing him, and she then she bit into her lip. "What's wrong?"

"I, um," he started, looking unsure as he glanced down, but then back up at her again, "About… About earlier, I was just… Well, I couldn't sleep, and I was wondering…" He then just sighed and said, "I just wanted to check on you. R-Remember, I did say before that I could tell when someone was lying. You said you were fine, but I know you weren't."

Sinking her teeth deeper into her lip, she quickly looked away from him, feeling the flush spread over her cheeks, but then she huffed, trying to cover it up and said, "I don't appreciate being called a liar, Luffy."

"Ah, I know, I'm sorry, but I was worried," he said, and he looked just that. It was etched into his face.

She nearly faltered with him admitting to her, that he was worried, but she had to stay strong. She had decided it was best to stomp her feelings for him, or their separation would be even more unbearable than it already was to her. However, the only way to do that was to push him away. Even so, her heart fluttered, but then she said, "I don't need you to be worried for me, Luffy. I'll be fine. I'll make it fine. We have Teach within our grasp, and tomorrow, we're going to put a stop to this nightmare. I'm sure he can lead us right to Enel, and then you can go home. I'll do everything I can to make sure they at least send both you and Ace back home, instead of locking you up."

Luffy felt his heart give a pang to her slightly cold behavior, and this made his face fall slightly. "Ah, yeah… we'll stop him… and then Ace and I will go home," he muttered with a nod, but lowered his head.

"So, everything is fine. I didn't lie. I mean, maybe I wasn't so all right then, but I am now. I just let my emotions get the better of me, that's all," she said and shrugged.

Looking up at her, his expression shifted, and then he said, "You're lying again."

"Didn't I say I didn't appreciate being called a liar!" she exclaimed and turned a glare to him, which made him wince. He remembered that face, and he did not want to see it again directed at him, but that was exactly what she was doing. He was confused. He did not understand. Why was she suddenly like this? The hurt was clear on his face, and she again nearly faltered, but it was better this way! However, if she did not make him leave, she would burst into tears again, especially if he kept looking at her with those eyes of his! As it was, it hurt so much to have to say these things to him and treat him in this way. "Just go to bed, Luffy! I said I will be fine, and I mean it!" she exclaimed, and despite her trying hard not to, the tears began to surface.

Without a word, Luffy stepped up to her, clutched her chin to tilt up her face to him and leaned down to press his lips to hers. She sucked in her breath, her entire body froze, and goose bumps swept all across her body, making her shudder. However, in the same instant, she melted, nearly collapsing against him. His arms went around her to keep her held tight, but he did not remove his lips from hers. Instead, he clutched the back of her head to tilt it and kissed her deeper.

When her mind came back to her just a bit, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back just as deeply, feeling her heart panging painfully and her tears returning. She did not want him to be taken away from her! "Luffy!" she whispered to him against his lips, almost desperately, but then she went back in to kissing him, her hold tightening around him.

As he moved her back into the room, the door slid closed behind them, and she walked backwards, blindly guiding him inside. They both fell into her bed in a tangle of limbs, and both seemed to move as if in desperation. Hands clawed at their clothes to be removed, and their lips ravaged the other. It was almost carnal, and a need that needed to be satiated that only they could satisfy for each other.

When she felt his bare body press into hers, she gave a soft gasp, but then a moan, and a whimper followed as she arched her body up more to press into him. When he fitted himself between her, beginning to press into her, she pressed her hands into his strong back and clawed her way down the length of it. She gave a cry to the slight sting of pain, but knew it would be fleeting. She could feel just how much she needed this, and so only spread herself wider for him.

It was rough, and it was hard, and it was absolutely glorious. She almost could not keep her cries quiet, and so at some point, she stopped caring. They flowed out of her about as frequently as her moans, and when the climax hit, she did not stop the scream which came forth. Giving his own grunting moan, he felt his own come just after hers, and so pressed in deep. His arms came around her tightly, and she wrapped her arms as well as her legs around him pressing their bodies together so hard, they may as well have melded together.

Both were panting heavily, their bodies sheened with sweat, refusing to let the other go as if desperate to always keep that hold, and that was when her tears returned. Burying her face within his neck, she let the tears fall and only held him tighter. "I can't lose you!" she whispered to him, and he slowly nodded his understanding. He had seen it on her face. She had been trying to push him away, but he had instead, seen her pain. He felt that same pain.

"I said before… that I didn't want to leave… I don't want to leave you, Nami," he whispered to her as well. He then finally rolled to his side, but brought her with him, especially since she was not about to let go. They lay curled together and completely intertwined.

"I will fight!" she rasped against him and sniffled. "They have to see, just like how I see-How we see! They have to see you the way we do. I won't let them take you away from me!"

"And they can't take me away from you," he whispered harshly with conviction in that same tone, which always made her shudder, but this time, it also made her moan. Maybe it was not so bad, especially when used in such a possessive way. She most definitely wanted to be possessed by this man.

Looking up at him, her eyes were smoldering and held the same possession he felt for her. Just as she wanted him to possess her, she most certainly wanted to possess him. Moving forward and pushing him to his back, she took his lips with hers and the rough process started all over again.

Neither was going to allow anyone to take the other away from them.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** Le whoa! O.O That was intense, even if not extremely detailed, like last time. Sorry, but this one had to be rougher to keep in with the rougher theme. It was more possessiveness than gentleness, but no less lacking of the whole love element. xD Yup, instead of my usually one of them is oblivious to the other's feelings for them, I made them both aware of their growing feelings for the other simultaneously. xD They fell in love together! Amazing, right? Lawl! I know, sorry for the short chapter. It had to, again, just be about them. I'll be nice and do a double post. xD Please stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:** All right, here's the second post for you guys today! :D Only 6 chapters left after this one! Please enjoy! :3

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 24**

Ace made his way out of the room, looking disgruntled, seeing as Luffy had not been in bed or even in the room, when he had woken up very early that morning. Looking within the main room, he saw only Nojiko preparing breakfast, and so he asked, "Have you seen Luffy?" 

"Mm, nope," she replied and shook her head. "Have you checked the bathroom?"

"No," he muttered and went to do that, but he was not the one inside. He gave a grunt and went back to the front. "Where the hell did he go?"

"I don't know," Nojiko replied, looking more worried. "Did you ask the others?"

"Yes, none of them have seen him," Ace muttered in reply, looking even more disgruntled.

"Well, he's not in my bathroom. I was just in there. I mean, the only place left is-" Nojiko halted her words, just staring back at Ace, and then she said, "Oh shit."

"What?" he asked, looking anxious and impatient.

"The only place left is... Nami's room," she nearly whispered and then looked down the hall to Nami's door.

Ace just kept his eyes on her, keeping silent, but then he said, "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"I am implying that they slept together, yes," she replied, slowly blinking her eyes back to him. "Is that a problem?"

"That's not possible-I mean, this is my little brother we're talking about. He has no interest in women," Ace said in a fast ramble, possibly in shock. 

Nojiko chuckled softly to his reaction and said, "Maybe he just hadn't met the right one."

"But it's only been three days!" he exclaimed, not sure how he felt about this.

"Sometimes, that's all it takes. Your brother has done some pretty amazing things," she said and then suddenly smiled brightly. "I approve of this. There is no one better for her. I know he'd protect her, and I know he _can_ protect her. I also know he cares for her." She gave a nod and continued cooking. "I'm glad I have today off today. I plan on going back to sleep. This is way too early for me. Someone should probably wake them, if they haven't woken already. Maybe they're showering together. That's sexy. I want someone to shower with."

Ace could only gape, speechlessly to this woman as she rambled on and on without a care. He then finally turned to look down the opposite hall. However, giving this some thought, the more concerned he became. There was no way the two could remain together. Was Luffy really with her? Where else could he possibly be? 

Within Nami's bathroom, Nami squealed with laughter as Luffy tickled her neck with kisses, and he was snickering in amusement to her squeals. He held her pressed to the wall of the shower as the hot water rained over them. Her arms and legs tightened around him as she laughed, but then she cried, "No more! It tickles." She then pulled back, pressing her hands into his face with giggles to keep him away. He snickered again, giving her hand a little nip. She squealed again and cried, "No, Luffy!"

He just laughed and pulled her away from the wall to let the water drench them more. "We should wash," he said, let her slide down his body. 

"I'll wash you," she said with a bright smile and then grabbed the soap to do just that. "They're going to know once we go out there," she said, her cheeks flushing as she washed his hair first. 

"Yeah," he replied quietly as he held still for her. "It's okay. It doesn't matter," he whispered to her and gently twirled her hair around his finger.

She smiled to this and said, "You're right. It doesn't. There's no getting around it anyway. My sister will tease me."

"I'll protect you," he said and smiled to her softly. "My brother will tease me too. We won't be alone. We'll be together, so they can tease all they want." 

Smiling to him as well with all the love and adoration she felt for him, she then nodded and said, "Good." She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss, but then pulled back slightly to run her soapy hand down his face with a giggle. 

"Gah!" he growled and tried to wipe the soap off. He then wrapped his arms around her to give her a squeeze and snickered. 

After their shower, and after they made love one more time, they got dressed and headed out to the others, Luffy having retrieved his uniform earlier, when everyone had still been asleep. The two had wanted to spend as much time as they had left together, in case they would not be allowed to later.

When they made their way into the main room together, everyone just turned to them and stared silently. Nami instantly flushed, seeing the knowledge there on their faces, even if they could not quite believe it, and Luffy pursed his lips to them. 

"Even though I knew it, I still can't really fathom that it's actually true," Nojiko said, still looking stunned to the two having actually come out together. 

Ace slowly let the frown form over his brow after the shock subsided, and then he said, "Luffy, you-This can't-You shouldn't-This is-What the fuck?" Okay, maybe he was still a bit shocked.

"It doesn't matter," Luffy said, tightening his hold on his and Nami's laced fingers.

"We know what could happen. Luffy's right, it doesn't matter. We... wanted to be together during this little time we have, and it doesn't mean we won't fight to remain together," Nami said, clasping his fingers tighter as well. 

Everyone went silent again for a while, still staring, but then Zoro finally said, "And we'll also fight to make sure you _can_ remain together."

Tears came to Nami's eyes as she smiled to Zoro and whispered, "Thank you, Zoro."

Feeling the same emotions, Luffy also smiled to him and said, "Thanks, Zoro. It will be an honor to fight by your side, for this, and when we take down Teach." 

"You got that right. It'll be an honor, Luffy. We're going to kick ass!" Zoro said and smirked.

"Damned straight, we're going to kick ass. We're with you, Luffy. Allies 'til the end," Law said, smirking to him. 

"We'll bring that son of a bitch, Teach, down, and then we'll make the higher ups understand," Sanji said with a slow nod and a lazy smirk.

Becoming teary eyed as well, Luffy grinned to them brightly and said, "Thanks so much, you guys."

"All right, breakfast is ready," Nojiko said, serving up their plates, though she was smiling softly to everyone there. "You should eat and then get going. You all have a long day ahead of you. Good luck with Teach, but please be careful."

"We will be. Thank you for breakfast, Nojiko," Nami said, as she came in the kitchen to help her, while the others sat at the dining table to eat.

"You're welcome," Nojiko said and smiled to her sister. Reaching out, she clutched her sister's hand gently and whispered, "I'm really happy for you, Nami. I really like, Luffy. I know you can make them understand how you both feel. If I'm needed to come help convince them, I'm there." 

"Thank you, Nojiko. I know we can too," Nami whispered back, feeling those stubborn tears returning, and then she hugged her sister tight. 

"Love you, Nami," Nojiko whispered, her own tears coming through.

"Love you too, Nojiko," Nami whispered, and then both pulled away to serve up breakfast.

"Best damn food here I've ever eaten," Ace muttered over his plate, and Nojiko smirked.

"Why thank you. I'm glad you appreciate it," she said with a chuckle, but he merely grunted.

Luffy snickered and said, "You don't grunt, you say, you're welcome." He then turned to Nojiko and said, "Thank you for breakfast, Nojiko."

Nojiko grinned to Luffy and said, "You're welcome, Luffy."

Ace quirked his brow, just watching the exchange and said, "Thank you?"

"You're welcome," Nojiko said, still smirking at him and knowing full well he had not actually thanked her. She was amused by him. 

Luffy snickered to this and said, "Yes, thank you, and then you're welcome."

Ace grunted and said, "Yeah, all right."

"When someone gives you something, does something for you or compliments you, you say thank you, and then they welcome you, and vice versa. You complimented her cooking, and so she thanked you," Luffy explained, also looking amused as did everyone else.

"And you got this all from your books?" Ace asked, looking a bit confused, but maybe also a bit curious. 

"Yeah," Luffy said with a nod and a grin. 

"Huh," Ace replied, and then he just went back to eating. 

After everyone finished eating, they all headed for the front to leave, and Nojiko went to see them off. "You all had better be careful, and you better look after Nami, Luffy, you hear me?" she said, and she even hugged him.

"Shishishi, I will, I promise," he said and hugged her back. "Thanks for everything, Nojiko," he said, just in case he never saw her again.

"You're very welcome, Luffy. It was a great pleasure meeting you," Nojiko whispered, also just in case, and she even teared up, "but I'm going to see you again-I know it."

Grinning brightly, he also whispered, "I'll see you again. Take care... and if I don't, please take care of Nami for me."

Her tears worsened as she even sniffled, no longer being able to hold her smile, and whispered, "Always." She then pulled away as her tears fell, cupping both his cheeks and smiled to him softly. "Take care, Luffy," she whispered and pulled him down to kiss his forehead. 

"Shishishi, I will!" he said, grinning more brightly. Nami smiled to then both with love, her own tears forming and falling.

Nojiko smiled brighter as well and then looked over to Ace. "Take care of him for us." 

"Always," Ace replied, staring back at her intently. She really did care for his little brother. They all did. "Thank you," he said suddenly, and what exactly he was thanking her for or whether or not he was just thanking her, since he had just learned how, was up in the air.

Smiling to him with a small huff of amusement, she nodded to him and said softly, "You're welcome, Ace. It was nice meeting you too."

He nodded his head to her and said, "Same." This made her smile more brightly, and he just blinked. 

"Let's head out," Zoro said, looking amused. "Thanks for everything, Nojiko."

"Yes, thank you very much for your hospitality," Sanji said and kissed the back of Nojiko's hand.

"Thanks, Nojiko," Law said and smiled to her lazily. 

"You're very welcome, boys. You're always welcome here," she said, smiling to them, and then she went to hug her sister. "You be careful, Nami." 

"I will be, Nojiko. I'll see you tonight," Nami whispered and hugged her back.

She then pulled back with a smile, and they all headed out. Nojiko stood within the door to see them off and waved to them. She was very worried for them, but she knew they would all do their job to the best of their ability.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note:** D'aww, the moment with Luffy and Nojiko always gets me in the feels! ;_; Hope you guys liked the chapter! Please stay tuned for the next chapter!


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note:** Here is chapter 25 for your enjoyment. So… enjoy it! xD

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 25**

Once they arrived where the day team was now surveillancing Teach, they also looked in at the monitors, and Nami asked, "Any movement?"

"Not yet, and there wasn't any all of last night, according to the night team. There are several teams all around, ready to move in, if needed. We were told to allow the carrier to deal with him first and only come in if needed," the tall, thin man said, who was wearing a type of shades with black puffy hair. "We're to remain on standby."

"You mean carriers," Ace said and smirked, but the thin man as well as the rest of the surveillance team quickly looked at him in shock.

"Y-You're a carrier?" one of the team asked, his eyes wide.

"That's right. Luffy's my little brother," Ace said and snickered to their looks of fear.

"Wh-Why isn't he wearing a collar?" another of the team exclaimed in his slight fear.

"Relax!" Zoro said and instantly frowned, but then he said, "I don't like these orders. We should fight together."

"Orders are orders. They said the suspect may not react as hastily or harshly with just the one, but… not sure about the two. Anyway, we can't risk this guy blowing up anything," another of the Guards said.

"They're right. It's best Luffy and I go in alone at first," Ace said and nodded slowly as he watched the monitors. Zoro kept his frown, and even Sanji and Law were frowning in dissatisfaction.

Luffy moved away from the monitors and moved to a device, which was playing a soft classical melody. He smiled and sat down on the floor before it. He had heard music like this before, from the devices left behind by these people, but this quality was so much better. "I like this music. Sounds pretty."

The tall man turned to Luffy and instantly smiled. "Do you? It's one of my recordings!" he said, looking proud of himself.

"Really?" Luffy asked, turning to smile excitedly to the man. "It sounds amazing! I would like to hear you some time!"

"I would be more than happy to perform a song for you, yohohoho!" he exclaimed with a bright smile.

"My name is Luffy!" Luffy said and grinned to the tall, thin man.

"Ah, it is a great pleasure to meet someone, who appreciates fine music, Luffy. I am Brook," the man said, bowing to him with his arm tucked into his torso.

"It's nice to meet you, Brook! Shishishi!" Luffy exclaimed, looking extremely pleased to have made a new friend.

How did Luffy always manage to make other people smile, especially ones, who were supposed to hate their kind? Ace just quirked a brow and shook his head. Luffy was definitely special. Nami smiled to Luffy with deep affection and love. It really was just natural for him to smile and to make other people smile. It was certainly what drew people to him. It was his earnest and genuine delight for just about everything and everyone, as well as his positive and honest personality.

"Hey, we've got movement!" Zoro called, staring intently at the screen.

Losing his smile, Luffy swiftly got to his feet and moved to the screen. Seeing Teach there, all of his rage and anger surged to the surface, and he began to growl. "Ace, we need to go confront him."

"Yup," Ace replied with a nod, looking ready to kick ass.

"Nami," Luffy called in only a slightly less harsh of a voice, and she quickly looked over to him.

"Yes?" she asked and moved to stand next to him.

"I need you to remove my collar," he said and finally looked to her. "I am going to become very angry, and I need to be able to fight him without the collar shocking me."

"Ah, but I thought our superiors forbade-" Brook started, looking a bit unsure, but Nami spoke up, interrupting him.

"Of course," she said immediately with a nod and dug within her coat pocket to retrieve the small metal bar. She then touched it to his collar, and it came right off. Nami took it and held it out to Zoro, who put it away.

Luffy immediately rubbed over his neck, feeling much better with it gone. Looking down at her, he smiled softly and whispered, "Thank you, Nami."

"You're welcome," she whispered and smiled up at him as well.

"Wait a minute," someone else from the surveillance team called, looking greatly worried about this, especially since the other Guard within their team also did not look concerned by this.

"It'll be fine," Law said, looking over to the nervous Guard. "You let these two worry about Teach, and we'll watch their backs."

"We'll be right there to have your backs if you need it," Sanji said, still watching the screen as he blew out smoke from his cigarette. "He's getting close to us, and he's got the usual bag."

"Let's go, Luffy," Ace said, already moving to leave.

"Coming," Luffy called over his shoulder, but turned his attention back to Nami.

"Be careful, Luffy, please," she whispered, looking worried for him.

"I will be. You be careful too, Nami," he whispered, just as softly, and uncaring of the audience, he leaned in, kissing her gently.

The other Guards from the surveillance team could only gawk as their jaws dropped open. What the hell was going on? They even looked to the other team, but they did not look surprised at all, and they also did not look rightfully appalled, as they felt. Had they known about this?

Kissing him back just as gently, Nami then pulled back and hugged him tight. "Go get him, Luffy. Make him pay for all the pain he's caused us."

"I will," he whispered harshly by her ear, making her shudder.

"Good," she whispered and pulled back to smile at him.

Luffy smiled in return, but then he quickly turned to follow after Ace. "Shit," one of the surveillance team said after the two had left. "We already have people trying to hack into the surveillance."

"Already?" Brook asked and went to see what he was looking at. "Well, we did ask them to evacuate the street, and we won't allow them through. Someone was bound to want to know why."

"I can't stop it," the team member said and shook his head.

"Then don't. We have more important things to worry about. Look, there they are," Zoro said and nodded to Ace and Luffy, who ran out of the building.

As soon as Ace and Luffy exited the building, they looked over to Teach, walking along the sidewalk. "Teach!" Luffy exclaimed, his voice leaving no doubts to his anger.

Hearing the voice and seeming to recognize it, Teach turned around to face the two and smirked, showing off the gaps from his missing teeth. "Well, would you look it here? We were wondering why our plans weren't going so smoothly, it seems a pair of pups were stupid enough to follow me up here and continuously get detected with the alarms. And here that sky dweller made it possible for me not to be found with this DNA scrambler," he said, showing them a device, which he had in his pocket. He then looked about and said, "I was wondering why the streets were barren, when they're normally packed with people. It seems one of the pups is slaving out for these sky dwellers. They're still in these buildings though, aren't they? I can still blow them up! So, stay where you are!" he exclaimed in warning as he pointed to them, but then he smirked in amusement as he looked at Luffy. "I saw you, you know, on a live feed while I ate my pies. The carrier, who cried, is what they said. They were so amazed and awed with you. It was disgusting and you made the rest of us D's look weak and pathetic and like crybabies! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Luffy actually looked slightly startled by what he said. There was a news feed about that? Everyone saw him crying? He was actually quite embarrassed, and so he was left speechless. Ace smacked his chest and said, "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Right," Luffy whispered and his frown slowly returned, as did his anger. "You're going to pay for what you did, Teach! I'm not ashamed of it!" Even if it was a little embarrassing… "You've killed a lot of people, and I'm not going to let you kill more!"

"How could you possibly want to protect these weak and pathetic people? You should be on my side and helping me to get rid of them!" Teach said and scowled back at Luffy.

"Help you? Weak and pathetic?" Luffy growled out, looking extremely offended, and then he cried, "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't I?" Teach asked and smirked, looking greatly amused.

"No, you don't! You haven't gotten to know them, and look at all of this!" Luffy said, motioning his arm as if to indicate everything around them. "These people are amazing! They've created amazing things, and despite who I was, they were willing to give me a chance!"

"Bullshit!" Teach said and sneered at him. "These people don't give a shit about you or about any of us! They hate us, and they're just using you! You think they're going to give you a warm welcome and accept you with open arms after you save them? I don't think so! These cowards will betray you the first moment they get, and you're a fool if you believe otherwise!"

"They would never betray me!" Luffy yelled, though he was speaking about his friends.

"You really are an idiot!" Teach said and laughed at him in a peculiar laugh. "Zehahahaha!"

"Shut up, Teach! You're going to pay for this! Fight us!" Luffy yelled, becoming angrier with this fool.

Teach continued to laugh, but then opened his coat to reveal all of the explosive strapped to him. "Come any closer, and all these buildings go boom with everyone inside, including the cute little piece you were hugging for everyone to see!"

Nami felt her cheeks flushing heatedly as they all listened to Teach, and the whole room seemed to glance over to her. "Are you really serious about that carrier?" one of them muttered to her, but this made her frown.

"Hey, what Ms. Nami does is none of your damn business," Sanji growled, looking angry for her.

"She can't honestly think it would be okay," someone else said, looking disgusted still.

"And who the fuck do you think you are to say so?" Law asked, looking at them from under the shadow of his cap.

"And how can you all actually be okay with this?"

"Okay with it?" Zoro asked in a low voice, looking just as peeved as his fellow Guards. "What does it matter if whether or not we're okay with it? Didn't you hear the curly brow? It's none of our damn business what Nami chooses to do, or who she chooses to be by her side. So shut the fuck up about it."

"And of course we're okay with it," Law said with a scoff, glancing back to the screen. "Luffy's probably a better man than all of us put together," he muttered under his breath.

"Damned straight," Zoro and Sanji muttered at the same time.

"Not true," Robin said and smiled softly. "You're all good men, and Luffy knows it. I believe it's why he chose you as his friends."

"Luffy is amazing though," Nami whispered, and smiling with love at his image, "but Robin's right. Don't sell yourselves so short."

"And he has excellent taste in music, yohohoho!" Brook said with a grin on his face. Everyone seemed to smile to this and nod in agreement, their respect, and in Nami's case, love was evident within their expressions. Though the other Guards still looked skeptical.

Luffy growled out with a sneer at Teach to the mention of Nami. "Don't you dare speak about her through that disgusting mouth of yours! You're not going to hurt her or anyone. You won't blow yourself up. You're too much of a coward, Teach!"

"What did you say?" Teach exclaimed, looking greatly offended, even if Luffy _was_ right.

"Fight us, Teach! If you can beat us, then there would be no one to stop you!" Ace said, glaring him down.

"That's right. Come on, Teach. Let's have a good old fashioned fight like last time," Luffy said, smirking lazily. "I'm much stronger now. Want to see?"

Teach's eye twitched, and he began to growl deeply. However, he removed the explosive vest and dropped it to the ground. "Let's go, pups! Show me what you've got!"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Oooh, I know! You hate me, right? I am sooo sorry-No I'm not. :P Stay tuned for the next chapter! xD


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: **And the confrontation begins! Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 26**

Ace and Luffy both cried out their savage cries, and Teach did the same as the three clashed together. Their movements were quick, almost too fast to catch within the video feed, and their attacks were brutal. Already blood was drawn from all three as their fists flew as well as perfectly executed kicks. As they fought, destruction followed with them crashing into buildings, denting them, and they were even thrown through glass walls and windows. The sounds of the fight were disturbing, and carried up several floors as the occupants also watched on their televisions in fear as well as awe.

Luffy cried out as Teach slammed his head into the metal building before throwing him through another glass window. Ace growled as he jumped on Teach, slamming his fist into him several times. They looked more like wild animals, duking it out in the wilderness, but their movements and attacks were so graceful and precise, even if brutal.

After a while, Nami could no longer watch, and so turned away with tears in her eyes. Luffy was getting hurt and there was so much blood, but she had to remind herself, that he could take it.

"Damn it, I feel as if we should be helping them," Zoro growled, beginning to pace.

"Headquarters told us strictly to only assist if they needed it," Sanji said in a strained voice, nearly chewing on the lit cigarette within his mouth, but he swallowed to just how brutal they could be. Luffy really had gone easy on them that first day they met.

"They're really tearing shit up. This is intense, way more so than any coliseum fight," Law muttered flatly, but his eyes were just as intently watching the fight through all the cameras positioned throughout the area.

"This shit is unreal," another muttered, watching in slight horror to the scene unfolding before them.

"Shit, this feed is broadcasting all over the news channels and it has been since the beginning," the same man as before said with a frown, but then he just sighed.

"Don't worry about it. Nothing we can do about it, if they want to watch," another said and shrugged.

"And watching is all _we_ can do too," Law muttered in the same tone, but then he shook his head. He had never been in a fight like this. He wondered what it was like, and he wondered if it was always like this on the surface. What sort of world, exactly, was Luffy from?

"I still don't like just watching!" Zoro growled, looking ready to go out there. He was not so weak, that he could not handle it.

"Neither do we, but we don't have a choice. Orders are orders," Sanji mumbled as he huffed out.

"Fuck orders!" Zoro seethed, his chest heaving as he went to watch Luffy again.

"Calm yourself," Law said, though his voice sounded more relaxed now. "Luffy and Ace got this. They're not going to need us."

Their feral cries echoed along the empty street as well as through the speakers, and the destruction was extensive. There were holes left within the street, even in some of the buildings and many windows were shattered. The three were bloody, bruised and heaving deeply to catch their breaths.

"You stupid little dogs, fighting for these pathetic rats," Teach seethed as he regarded them both in his disgust. "You are a dishonor to our people."

"Fuck that," Luffy growled, looking ragingly furious with Teach. "Our people are a disgrace!"

"_How dare you_?" Teach yelled loudly, his voice carrying everywhere and to the people above as they watched. "Who the fuck do you think you are, you little piece of shit?"

"I'm Luffy D. Monkey," Luffy growled out in his own disgusted sneer. "I'm a D, and I don't feel proud of that. Our people claim to be warriors and carry themselves like kings, but kings that live in piles and piles of _shit_! We live like animals! We have nothing to show for ourselves except destruction and chaos and all the useless fights and wars we started! Is that really something to be proud of?"

"_Yes_!" Teach exclaimed, but Luffy countered him.

"No it isn't! We could be so much more!" Luffy cried, but then yelled much more vehemently as he pounded over his chest, "_So_ – _much_ – _more_!" He then took a deep breath and said much more calmly, "But only if we allowed ourselves to be."

Teach's eye twitched as he regarded the young pup, but then he said, "What would you know? This is who we are. This is who we have been for centuries."

"And during all those centuries, we've never changed. We've never grown or improved. We've done _nothing_!" Luffy growled out, but then he looked about him and said, "Look what they've done. They've built beautiful homes, invented wonderful things." He looked at Teach again and said, "We don't have pies or good food or televisions or ice cream or theme parks or cool robots. We don't have amazing things. The amazing things we do have, even your explosives, were all invented by these people, not us! We stole their technology! We have nothing. We _are_ nothing! We're lazy and fight all the time, and _that_ is pathetic!"

Eye twitching again, Teach growled under his breath, Luffy's words beginning to sink in, but it was not as if he cared all that much. Ace swallowed down, his gaze shifting to the side and lowering. Luffy's words were hitting him just as hard. It was true – All of it was true.

Everyone watching on was sitting at the edge of their seats, listening to this man, and all they could really feel was amazement. Nami bit her lip, gazing back at Luffy with tears in her eyes, but her chest swelled with pride. She was so proud of him, and it only made her love him that much more.

"Damn, he's making me want to get up and be more proactive. I feel as if I've not done anything with myself either," Law muttered and shifted around where he stood.

"Tell me about it… At least you save lives," Zoro countered and frowned at the screen deeply.

"You save lives as well – Rather, you protect them," Robin supplied, making Zoro glance over to her.

He looked back to the screen and muttered, "I guess so…"

"All you've accomplished, Teach, is to cause pain, despair and destruction," Luffy growled, glaring back at him, "and you're going to pay for it!" Without warning, Luffy surged forward with unbelievable speed and slammed his fist into Teach's overlarge stomach.

The other man's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as he doubled over from the brutal and unexpected hit. As he bent forward, Luffy threw up his first, upper cutting Teach's chin, and the man instantly flew up and over before hitting the ground. This time, Teach did not get up again, and everyone jumped out of their seats, cheering.

Breathing heavily, Luffy just stared down at Teach, his anger still present, but he felt a rush of relief. However, within the next instant, they were surrounded by other Guards, a few going in to chain Teach as well as slip a collar on over his neck, and the anxiety returned. Luffy glanced about, expecting his friends, but he did not see them.

"Bravo, that really was brilliant," a deep voice came, and then a large man stepped out from the shadows.

"What the…?" Zoro whispered, leaning forward more to see what was going on. "That's Battle-Commander Sakazuki. What is one of our superiors doing here?" he asked and looked up to the others.

Nami quickly shook her head and said, "I have no idea! They said this investigation was our job!" She looked a bit worried, and honestly, she did not trust the man. She knew he hated Luffy's kind.

"Let's go and meet them!" Law said and quickly moved as if to leave, but he was blocked off.

"I'm sorry, but we have orders to keep you here. Let the Battle-Commander handle this," one of the surveillance team said, and the others also moved to block the entrance.

"What?" Nami exclaimed in a horrified whisper, but then she slowly began to scowl. "This is bullshit! Let us out of here!"

"Please remain calm. Everything will be handled by the Battle-Commander," another of the men said, looking quite unfriendly.

"I apologize for this, but it was our orders," Brook said, looking sympathetic to the other group, but he did not seem very thrilled about it.

"This is fucking bullshit!" Zoro exclaimed, slamming his fist down over the table.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked the large man and took steps back towards Ace, who also looked on alert.

"I see the other carrier was good enough to reveal himself. Makes things much easier," Sakazuki said as he regarded both men with obvious distaste. "Chain them both up as well," he said, and men suddenly stepped forward, slapping collars on both Ace and Luffy.

"What the fuck is this?" Ace demanded and reached up to remove the collar, but he cried out, when he received a very strong shock, which sent him to his knees.

"Ace!" Luffy cried, rushing towards him, but cried out, instantly buckling from the pain. He fell to his back and grabbed at the collar, still shocking him.

When it finally stopped, the Guards quickly moved forward to chain them both, like they did for Teach, but both Ace and Luffy were not about to let them. They fought despite the collars to prevent them from chaining them up. Sakazuki growled and said, "Hurry up and chain them! Take them away to the prison and lock them up where they belong." There was a sudden cry of outrage as those, who had been watching, came out onto their balconies to complain about what was taking place. These men had clearly saved them! Why were they being arrested, even if they were carriers? "Get them chained and take them away, quickly!" Sakazuki demanded his men, especially since the civilians began throwing things down at them, as if trying to prevent them from taking the two away.

"No! Luffy!" Nami cried in horror as she watched what was happening. She turned to the others and cried, "Let us out!"

"Move out of the fucking way, or you're going to get hurt!" Zoro growled and moved into position to attack.

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow you," the other Battle-Guard said as he also moved into position.

"Think about what you're doing, Battle-Guard Zoro. You'll be suspended or even lose your position. We'll be forced to arrest you," another said, also moving to fight.

"I don't fucking give a shit!" Zoro yelled, looking furious.

"Luffy is our friend. We don't give a shit about orders or our jobs. We're not letting you betray him," Law said in a low voice as he lowered his head slightly.

"We're going to fight for him. There's no way in hell we're letting you take him away," Sanji growled as well, and then the three surged forward, doing exactly as they promised to Ace, but not because he asked them to. It was because they wanted to. Somehow, they would get to their friend and protect him.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Uh oh… :( Luffy got betrayed, just as they said he would, but not by his friends! But will they be able to save them? T_T Stay tuned for the next chapter! D:

**P. S.**Did anyone else catch the reference in here? :3 Are you a fan? If you caught the line, please tell me! I won't tell you what it is, unless no one knows. _Spoilers_! *Said in sing songy voice*


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note:** Things are getting intense! D: Only three chapters left after this one! Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 27**

As the fighting broke out, Brook frowned and took steps away, opting _not_ to fight. He did not want to fight his own, and honestly, he did not agree with what was going on either. So, he would not help to detain them, but he also could not assist them. As the Battle-Guards clashed, the other Intel-Guards and Med-Guards came at Nami and Robin to hold them.

Nami scowled and fought them off to defend herself. Robin grabbed a nearby lamp and hit one of the Intel-Guards with it. When a Med-Guard grabbed her from behind, she elbowed him hard in the ribs, grabbed him and pulled him over her shoulder.

With them all fighting their hardest to get to Luffy, it did not take them long to bring down their opponents. "Let's go!" Zoro cried over his shoulder and headed out quickly.

With a sigh, Brook stepped over his comrades to follow them out. During the fight, he had decided to do what he felt was right. He would fight his superior to stop this nonsense. "I wish to come with you!" he called after them.

"Then come!" Zoro called over his shoulder as they ran to the elevator to make their way down.

"You sons of bitches. I knew you'd betray us," Ace growled out, though his body stung from the electrocution. Spying pieces of glass shards near him, he shouldered the man holding him and fell to the ground. Reaching out, he snatched up one of the glass shards and swiped at the other Guards trying to get at him. "Stay away from me!"

"A-Ace," Luffy called out weakly, looking concerned, "don't."

"Like hell I'm letting them take us away!" Ace cried, but felt the shock again, which brought him to his knees. "Fucking sky dwellers!"

"Ace!" Luffy cried, feeling dread consuming him. Where were his friends?

"H-Hey, wait a second?" one of the recruits in training asked as he stepped up wearing the same uniform, but with white arm bands. Seeing as they needed all the men they could get, they had brought the recruits with them.

Luffy looked over to him and his eyes widened. "Sabo!"

"Why are we taking them in? I don't understand. They fought to protect us, and if it wasn't for Luffy, I wouldn't even be here!" Sabo said, beginning to frown deeply. "He didn't do anything wrong? Is this what it really means to be a Guard? I became a Guard to protect people! This is exactly what they did!"

"Stay out of this, recruit! Just do your job!" Sakazuki growled to the young man, but Sabo did not step down.

"Not a chance! They did nothing wrong, except being born carriers, apparently!" Sabo cried and scowled up at Sakazuki. "I can't allow this!" Reaching behind him, he pulled out a small rod, but then it extended into a long staff, and electricity seemed to flow through it.

Becoming more and more worried for Sabo, seeing as he was one man standing up against many, Luffy quickly looked about for the others. They had to help Sabo! "W-Wait, Sabo!" he cried and looked towards Sakazuki pleadingly.

"Luffy!"

Hearing the cry, Luffy felt relief washing over him. He knew that somehow, his friends would pull through. If they did this together, they would pull through. "Everyone," he called and smiled to them weakly.

"What the hell are you doing here? Your orders were to stay put! What happened to the other team?" Sakazuki said and glared at them.

"They resisted when we wanted to leave. What do you think happened to them? Fuck your damned orders! We're not following these orders! Let them go, damn it!" Zoro yelled, as they finally reached where they were. "They assisted us with this, and we still need to find Enel!"

"We've already picked him up," Sakazuki said with a sneer to these sorry excuses for Guards.

"Please, let them go! Let… Let them go home!" Nami cried, feeling her eyes swimming with tears.

Sakazuki immediately looked over to her and said, "What is wrong with you, Intel-Guard? You're fraternizing with the enemy!"

"He's not the enemy! Teach was the enemy! Luffy is our ally!" Nami cried, becoming angry with this man.

"This man was never our ally! He was our prisoner, whom we used to get to this man!" Sakazuki exclaimed with a deep scowl as he pointed to Teach.

"Says you!" Zoro exclaimed, looking just as furious. "Luffy was _our_ ally! We're not betraying him! You don't know shit, and you don't know him!"

"You're fighting a losing battle. Stand down or we'll be forced to arrest you as well," Sakazuki said, glaring back at Zoro.

Zoro nearly ripped off his coat, leaving him bare-chested and tossed it aside. "If this is what it means to be a Guard, then I want no part of it! If you think I'll make it easy for you to arrest me, then you go right ahead and try!"

Sanji and Law both sneered and ripped off their coats as well. "Luffy risked his life to protect and save us. If we can't do the same for him, then we can't call ourselves men," Sanji said, sounding calm, though his voice left those around him chilled.

"Damned straight. He protected us, and so we will protect him," Law said, his voice just as quiet, but it carried over the silence.

"I do not agree with this," Brook said with a slow nod, and so he too, removed his coat to toss it aside, though he wore an undershirt.

"I can't agree with this either," Coby said, looking greatly troubled as he stepped up through the crowd of Guards, but he slowly removed his coat and dropped it to the ground at his feet.

Smoker closed his eyes, seeming to think about this, but then he growled out as if irritated. He also removed his coat and tossed it aside. Helmeppo looked between them all, but then looked up at his father, who was scowling at those, who removed their coats. Gulping down, he looked over to his longtime friend Coby and stepped forward towards him. "Helmeppo! What're you doing?" Morgan demanded of his son.

"Sorry, dad, but…" Helmeppo said as he made a face, though his eyes were not visible. He then slowly removed his coat and dropped it with Coby's.

"Helmeppo," Coby called in some surprise, but then he smiled to his friend.

"I can't do this either. It's not right," Chopper said, also removing his coat with the others.

"Luffy trusted the Guards, and he said I'd make a good one. Maybe I still will, but not like this," Sabo said and removed his coat as well.

Nami also removed her coat, though she wore a blouse beneath it and tossed her coat with the others, and Robin did the same. "This is wrong, and I think you all know it," Nami said as she looked to the other Guards there, still wearing their coats.

"Everyone," Luffy whispered, feeling those stubborn tears filling his eyes. They were really fighting for him. He was truly moved by what they were willing to do for him.

"What is the matter with all of you?" Sakazuki demanded as he looked to them all. "You are _Guards_! This is your job! It is your job to protect the people! These carriers can't be trusted!"

"They can, and they proved it," Zoro spat, looking to Sakazuki in disgust. "Not all of them are bad, like you seem to think!"

"Enough of this! Arrest these men and women!" Sakazuki exclaimed as he looked to the other Guards present, and they immediately moved to do as they were told.

"Hey!"

For a moment, everyone was distracted by the cry and looked over towards it. That was when they finally noticed the large mob of people, who were walking down the streets, led by Usopp as well as the Guards from Heart City. Seeing as the others had removed their coats, they did so as well. Behind them were all of the people from the theme park the day of the explosion and the civilians around during the incident with the grocery store. Having been watching what had happened over the news feed, they had rushed over as soon as possible and pushed their way through the barricade. Even Conis and her father Pagaya and Lily were among them.

"You're not taking these two anywhere!" Usopp called, looking just as upset as the others. "Luffy protected us; he cried for us! He did his best! Is this who we really are? Is this how we will repay what he did for us? If you t-try and take him to p-prison, then y-you h-have to go th-through us t-to!"

The crowd behind him cheered their cry in agreement, and others from the buildings also came out to join the riot about to start. Another large man stepped out of the crowd, the same blue haired man with the metal nose, and then he called, "Why are these men being arrested? They saved out _super_ cities, and I heard one of them say how he greatly appreciates my _super_ work!"

"Ah, Franky?" Luffy called, remembering the man Zoro had told him about from the billboard. He then grinned and said, "Everything you've built is amazing!"

"_Super_! I'm glad you liked it! Everyone else seems to take it for granted, and doesn't really appreciate it! I appreciate your _super_ appreciation!" Franky said and did a pose to show his gratitude and happiness to the praise.

"Whoa, shit! It's Franky!" Zoro said, looking astonished that this great man came on behalf of Luffy. Everyone else seemed just as amazed as they gawked at Franky.

"Damn it," Sakazuki growled as he looked at all of the civilians. There were a lot of Guards, but the civilians outnumbered them. "Enough of this nonsense! Keep those civilians out of here, and the rest of you stand down! Get these prisoners up and out of here! Have you all forgotten what the carriers have done to us! Have you forgotten all the lives lost during the wars because of these monsters! I've certainly not forgotten!"

"Luffy isn't like them, and neither is Ace! They weren't even alive during the wars! They're innocent! They didn't do anything wrong!" Nami cried, feeling those tears returning.

"We're not letting you do this!" Zoro cried and instantly lunged for the Guards trying to take Luffy away. The others moved to do the same, and that was when the fighting and riot broke out, the sounds of voices deafening within the street. They all fought hard to try and protect their friends as best they could. They would not allow them to be taken.

Despite the collar, Ace tried to fight back as well and pushed through the pain, but it was difficult. The shock was almost overwhelming, but he would fight for his little brother as well. He would fight for Luffy's beliefs, and he would fight, because despite the fact that they were outnumbered, his friends had pulled through, and were fighting for Luffy, just as they had confidently promised they would do.

Luffy also pushed to his feet, using his body to barrel into the Guards trying to stop them. He tried to remain calm, much like how he was the day he sparred with Zoro and the others as well as Sabo. As long as he kept calm, he should be fine, but his heart was pounding. He did not actually want to hurt these people, and so he turned to Ace. "Ace, keep calm! The collar won't shock you if you're calm! Don't actually hurt anyone! They're not bad people!"

"Like hell they aren't!" Ace called, but he forced himself to calm as well.

"They're not! They're just scared and angry about the past! Don't hurt them and then prove them right about us!" Luffy called pleadingly, making Ace growl out.

Despite his anxiety, Ace did as his little brother said and tried not to hurt them. With him being calmer, the collar stopped shocking him, despite the fact that he was defending himself. Sakazuki looked furious with the turn of events. He had not expected the people to fight back. He had thought they would be relieved these carriers would be off their streets. They were monsters! All of them were! He had seen it firsthand during the wars! There were no good ones!

Looking to the side to the shards of glass, he picked up a long and thin one, which was about two feet long, intending on putting a stop to this. He would get all of these carriers thrown in prison, if it was the last thing he did. He would start with the small one, who started all of this in the first place.

Seeing Sakazuki coming at them, Ace scowled, but tried to remain calm. Turning swiftly, he then surged for him, since Sakazuki was going straight for Luffy. Just as Sakazuki pulled back the arm holding the long shard, Ace blocked his path, but sucked in his breath to the sharp pain of the glass being shoved right into his chest. Sakazuki's strength shoved Ace back, right into Luffy.

Luffy cried out to the pain when the shard exited from Ace's back and even stabbed into his chest as well. Sucking in his breath and tears instantly forming, Luffy cried with a painful voice, knowing what this meant, and his cry was heard clearly throughout the crowd of people, making them pause in shock, "_Ace_, _no_!"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: ** I am sooo sorry for ending this chapter there… and yes, I did go there… T_T Please stay tuned for the next chapter.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: **Here's chapter 28 for you guys, and guess what? It's a long one! :D Enjoy! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 28**

The shock of the loud cry caused silence to fall and all eyes went to Ace. Ace grunted as the blood spilled from his lips, but then he grabbed Sakazuki's hand to pull it away and the shard from his chest. The moment it slipped out, he cried out and collapsed. "_No_, _Ace_!" Luffy cried, his tears already spilling and his face twisted with pain. He even ignored his own injury, which was not as severe as Ace's, and he reached out to catch his brother before he hit the ground.

"Luffy," Ace grunted out in his attempt to speak with the blood pooling within his mouth making it difficult. "Get… home…"

"No! No, not without you!" Luffy cried, beginning to cry harder and not caring about his audience.

"Get…home… damn it," Ace exclaimed as strongly as he could, and then he smiled for his little brother, but then his eyes rolled around before closing.

"No!" Luffy cried and began to sob.

"Luffy!" Nami cried as she ran forward, but Zoro reached out with fast reflexes to stop her, despite the fact that one of his eyes had a gash down it, and it was even shut tight with blood pouring down his face. He had a really bad feeling about this, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He sensed danger…

"Let me see!" Law cried as he shoved through the crowd and dropped to his knees. Removing his pack, he immediately went to work on trying to close Ace's wounds and stop the bleeding.

"Move aside!" Chopper cried and pushed his way through all the Guards to get to Ace as well.

"His heart has stopped!" Law informed Chopper, who nodded as both worked to resuscitate him. "The glass didn't pierce his heart, even if it was close. That's good," Law continued, and Chopper nodded again.

Luffy stood and moved to let them work, but his head was completely lowered. Ace's heart had stopped. That meant for the moment, his brother was dead and could possibly remain that way. Luffy's head suddenly lifted up, and though his tears fell, his face was a mask of uncontrolled fury. Taking in a sharp breath, he then released a cry far more savage and louder than the one he released at the theme park. It was long, it was loud, and it froze the blood of everyone present. The sound of it echoed for miles.

He then surged forward with such speed, that it looked as if he nearly disappeared. With him in such a fury, the collar immediately shocked him, but it was almost as if he could not feel the pain. He was numb to it, and he was far too enraged to care. Pulling back his fist, he slammed it into Sakazuki so hard, the man went flying several feet, but he instantly flipped back and landed on his feet, the momentum causing him to slide across the ground.

With his own scowl, Sakazuki came at Luffy with his own cry of fury and pulled back his arm to hit him. This fight was ten times worse than the one with Teach, and it had everyone there, minus Law and Chopper, frozen to the spot with terror or disbelief as they silently watched. The fight went on for several minutes, and all they could do was watch. The destruction was enormous, and they all had to move away on the other side of Law and Chopper with Ace, though the fight was moving away from them to everyone's relief.

"_No¸Luffy_!" Nami screamed as her tears fell endlessly, and Zoro had to nearly drag her back with the others. Before her very eyes, he had turned into the carrier they all had feared, but she knew it was because he was hurting. He was hurting! "Let go of me!" she continued to scream as she struggled against Zoro, but he would not let her go.

"Nami, stop it! It's too late! He's too far gone, and so is the Battle-Commander! It would be far too dangerous for you to go into that!" Zoro cried, trying to keep her in place, but he was worried, very worried.

Luffy's cries sounded so barbaric and were filled with so much pain, that it stabbed Nami right in the heart. She wanted to go to him! Losing her strength in her helplessness, she went limp in Zoro's arms and broke into sobs. She had to get to him. She could not let him lose himself this way. She could not let his pain consume him. "No!" she cried, feeling Zoro's hold relaxing, and so she threw her head back, right into Zoro's nose.

"Fucking son of a bitch!" he cried as he was forced to release her and grabbed his nose.

Pushing away from him, she took off towards Luffy and Sakazuki. "Luffy!" she cried as she ran right for him. Just as Luffy was about to surge forward, she ran into his path, instantly making him halt, and she threw her arms around him. "Luffy, don't, please!" she cried softly, holding him tight as her tears fell heavily.

"Nami," Luffy growled out, his heart pounding furiously in his chest from his rage, and he reached up to clutch her arms. However, it really began to register to him that she was there, and he felt himself calming. It also meant he was crumbling. "Nami!" he cried softly, just as she had, and wrapped his arms tight around her.

Sakazuki also paused, but then scowled and saw his opportunity. "Arrest them all!" he cried to his men as he looked to them. He surged forward, intending on taking Luffy down, even with Nami in the way. His men even moved as if meaning to arrest them all, even Law and Chopper, still working on saving Ace.

"No!" Law cried, instantly getting up to fight them off, but yelled at Chopper, "Don't stop!"

"I won't!" Chopper cried and continued working frantically.

However, before Sakazuki could reach Luffy and his men the others, an alarm began beeping furiously from all of their dens. The noise was nearly deafening from how many of them were present and to all of the alarms sounding off at once.

"What the hell is going on?" Sanji asked and looked around, wondering why the alarm was set off.

Just then a flying vehicle came over one of the buildings and began to descend over them. It was old in fashion, and one that had not been seen since the war. The doors opened, and three men jumped down from out of it. They landed easily on their feet, despite how far down it was from the vehicle, causing the concrete beneath them to cave in a bit around them, and the very large and intimidating men did _not_ look happy. The flying vehicle then flew off and landed nearby, and Saul stepped out in case he was needed, looking just as large as the other three.

"They're carriers!" someone cried, and the terrified screaming started as the crowd of civilians ran away from them.

Looking over to them, Luffy's eyes widened, though his tears had returned, and he called, "Gramps, dad, Uncle Roger!" Everyone, who heard, paused to what Luffy said. These men were his family?

"My son!" Roger cried and ran to where Ace and Chopper were.

"Wait!" Law cried and cut him off. "We're still trying to save him! If you interrupt now, he'll surely die!"

Roger halted and ground his teeth, but he looked down at his son. "Please, let us save him!" Chopper cried, but did not stop what he did.

"Keep them off us!" Law said, pointing to the Guards still wearing their coats, but then he quickly dropped down to continue helping Chopper.

Roger looked to the other scowling Guards and offered them his own scowl. With a growl he moved to block them off, and he would do anything he could to make sure his son was saved. However, the Guards were far more intimidated by these large and older veteran carriers than the two younger ones. They were not about to touch them.

"Luffy!" Dragon called, seeing his son was still standing, but he frowned to all the blood covering him as well as the woman in his arms.

"Dad!" Luffy called and moved in front of Nami. "You came."

"Of course we came! Ace's heart flat lined, and yours was beating frantically! We said we would come if anything happened to either of you!" Dragon said, but then he motioned to his son. "Come on, we're getting the fuck out of here!"

"N-No, I…" Luffy started and glanced to the side towards Nami behind him.

Nami clutched into him tightly and pressed her forehead into his back. "You should go, Luffy, while you're able. We can't promise they won't just try arresting you again, if you stay here, and your family is here now," she whispered to him, but her tears worsened. She did not want him to go! She knew they made a promise to fight to remain together, but she was far too worried about him, and things just did not seem to be going their way at all. It had been naïve to think they could remain together, and she knew now that it had been hopeful thinking.

"Sakazuki!" a deep voice called from the opposite side.

Sakazuki turned to the voice and scowled deeply at the two men approaching him. "Battle-Commanders Kuzan and Borsalino, what're you doing here?"

"We've orders from Sengoku. You are to release the carriers. These orders come from the top. They are to be escorted out of the skies," Kuzan said with a deep frown to the other man.

"What?" Sakazuki exclaimed in disbelief. "Release all of them?"

"That's right, even Teach. He is to be released into their custody. Let the carriers deal with their own. They are to leave immediately before he changes his mind," Kuzan said with a slow nod.

"Hoo, what a mess this all is?" Borsalino said as he looked around to the destruction. "Reminds me of the old days…"

"Wait, we're not done with Ace!" Law called to them as he and Chopper worked to patch up both holes. They were able to get the bleeding to stop at least, and his heart started again.

Now that things calmed down, Roger moved to kneel down and asked, "Will he be okay?"

"He is for now, but only time will tell," Chopper said with a look of concern.

"But he's strong, right? He's not about to let himself die," Law said and nod with conviction.

Looking up at him, Roger huffed out with a smirk and said, "That's for damn sure. He's a stubborn boy, and if he died, his mother would kill me."

Law looked up and smirked to the man, but then gave Ace back his attention. "All right, this is all we can do for him. He's going to need constant care," he said and held out to him his pack full of medical supplies. "Here, these will help, and there's an IV you can give to him once you get him to the surface. They'll help him with the pain and offer him needed nutrients while he's out."

Roger was a little astonished, and quite frankly, he had to wonder what was going on. Looking to the pack, he nodded his head in understanding as he took it. Luffy smiled, though his smile appeared sad, and then he said, "Thank you, Law, and Chopper for saving my brother."

"You don't have to thank us for that, Luffy," Law said, looking up at him, but he also looked disappointed that the other man had to leave.

Zoro and Sanji approached Luffy, looking much the same, but their approach alarmed Dragon. "Stay the fuck back!"

"It's okay, dad," Luffy replied softly and moved forward to them.

"Thank you, Luffy, for everything," Zoro said and held his hand out to him.

Without hesitation, Luffy clasped his hand tightly within his. "You're more than welcome, and thank _you_ for everything, Zoro," he nearly whispered, looking very sad to be leaving his friends. He then turned to Sanji and clasped his hand as well. "Thank you for fighting for me."

"Of course, Luffy. You did the same for us, so of course we'd do it for you. We're friends, and that's what friends do," Sanji said and nodded to him in a sort of bow as he shook his hand in return.

Law also approached to claps his hand tightly. "You've taught us so much, Luffy. You changed everything," he whispered, the gratitude within his eyes to have been able to meet this man. "Are you okay? Don't need medical attention?"

Luffy clamped his jaw tight, feeling those stubborn tears returning. "I'll be fine. You've taught me so much too, and you've changed everything for me. I'm going to do better for my people. We'll build a coliseum, and we'll do it together. I will make it better for them!"

They all grinned to him and nodded their heads. "You can do it, Luffy. You can do anything," Zoro said with conviction and believing his words with every fiber of his being.

"Luffy!" Usopp called and came running up.

"Usopp!" Luffy called as he turned to him. "Thank you for fighting for me as well, and for all the sweet foods!"

"You're welcome, Luffy. I'm glad you get to go home," Usopp said and smiled for him. "We'll never forget you."

"Never," everyone else agreed with smiles.

"Luffy," Robin called, looking misty eyed, but she was smiling as Luffy turned to her.

"Robin," Luffy called softly with his bright, but sad smile. He then went and gave her a hug, which she eagerly reciprocated. "I'll miss you, Robin."

"And I will miss you, Luffy. I know you can do all you said you wanted to do, and I know your people will appreciate it," she said as she hugged him tight.

"I know they will too," Luffy whispered, those tears swimming in his eyes. He then pulled back and turned to the other Guards, who had also fought for him. "Thank you for fighting for me too."

"It was an honor, Luffy. Your compassion moved all of our hearts. It was the least we could do for you," Jinbei said and bowed his head to him.

"You really surprised me. I'm sorry about before. I was really just curious about you. I meant no disrespect," Tashigi said and smiled to him.

"Indeed. You are not what we expected of your kind, but it was definitely an honor to meet someone as honorable as you," Kuro said and pushed his glasses up with the heel of his palm.

"I am very glad to have met you, Luffy. We always believed all carriers were the same, violent and uncaring, but you are the complete opposite. Perhaps we just misunderstood each other," Kaya said and gently clasped his hand. "Thank you so much."

"It was the honorable thing to do, just as you did the honorable thing. We fight to protect, and we definitely fight to protect those willing to protect us," Smoker said through the cigar between his teeth.

"You fought for us first, Luffy. It was only natural we do the same," Coby said with a nod and a smile.

"And of course I'd fight for you, Luffy. You gave me food and a job. I won't give up being a Guard just because of this. I'll be a great Guard and protect the people. That's what I did for you, Luffy, just like you did for us," Sabo said with a nod to him and a smile as well.

Luffy grinned and chuckled to them all, the tears threatening to fall as he turned to Brook and said, quietly, "Sorry, Brook. Looks like I will have to take a rain check on hearing you perform."

"Yohohoho," Brook laughed, though sadly and softly, "I look forward to the time when I can, Luffy, sir. I'm glad I was able to meet you more formally."

"Me too," Luffy said and then he turned to Franky. "You've made amazing things, Franky. I wish I could have seen it all… experienced it all. Everything here is so cool, and I never even got to ride any of the rides at the theme park. Maybe… when it's fixed… I could do that. And I think all your robots are so cool, and your metal nose too! Shishishi!" he said with a laugh, though the sound was so sad, as were his words. They all knew he would never be coming back.

"Of course you can," Franky said and smiled to him softly. "I'll show you everything I've invented and then some."

"Thanks, Franky! Thanks to all of you! You've made my experience up here so great!" he said to them as he laughed softly to them, but then he finally turned his attention to the one person he cared for most. "Nami," he whispered to her and held his hand out to her.

In an instant, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. Already she was sobbing against him in her grief. She knew this was going to happen, but she had hoped it would not. She wished it was possible to fight for him to stay, but it was not, and it hurt so much! "Luffy!" she cried in a whisper against him.

"I'm sorry, Nami… I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you. Please be happy. Don't stay sad," he whispered, and finally those tears began to fall.

"I can't," she whispered and shook her head, "not without you!"

"I'm sorry. If I could stay, I would. Please don't be sad," he pleaded, but he was not even sure he could keep this same promise, especially since they could not keep the promise of fighting to stay together. He realized now, that his staying would only cause trouble for these people, and he did not want that.

She gave a weak cry as she sobbed, but then she pulled back and kissed him, uncaring to all the eyes watching. Clamping his eyes shut and setting more tears free, he kissed her back just as desperately as she did him. She cupped his cheeks, gripping tightly, and then she whispered against his lips, "I love you!"

Groaning deeply within his throat to the pain he felt, he cupped her cheeks as well and opened his eyes slowly to look at her, just as she also opened hers. Caressing her cheeks, he whispered, "I love you too, Nami…"

His family was astounded, even disbelieving of what they were witnessing. All of these sky dwellers seemed to care about Luffy and were even concerned for him, and this woman even loved him, but they were not about to over stay the welcome they already did not have. "Let's go, boy. We're leaving before they do change their minds," Dragon growled and then turned to head back to their vehicle.

Luffy heard his father, and it made his heart pang painfully, but he did not remove his eyes from Nami, nor did she remove hers. Leaning in again, he kissed her one last time, but tenderly this time. "I love you," he whispered one more time, but then he suddenly released her and turned to follow after his family without looking back.

Nami watched as he disappeared within the vehicle out of her sight. It seemed neither could bring themselves to say goodbye. As a matter of fact, none of them had been able to tell the other man goodbye… and he had not told them either. Perhaps it was a desperate hope to hold onto, that they would see each other again, but the chances were not likely….

There were tears in several eyes as they watched as these two hearts shattered into little pieces before them. Back at home, Nojiko was sobbing, having seen the entire thing on her television. She then quickly stood and ran out to get to her sister. Her sister needed her!

Roger lifted Ace into his arms and followed after the others. Garp remained where he stood, watching the others there warily until his family was inside the vehicle. With his eyes drooped, he then finally turned to head into the vehicle with them. The vehicle lifted into the air, and Borsalino and Kuzan flew up to escort them out of their city.

Nami dropped to her knees, her body jerking with heart-wrenching sobs. Wrapping her arms around herself, she doubled over, pressing her forehead into the concrete. "Luffy!" she cried softly, feeling her heart painfully disintegrate into nothing.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **TT_TT S-So sad… But hey… Ace still lived… T_T At least… we have this… right? T_T Stay tuned for the next chapter…


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: **_**Importance notice: **_All right, so I want you guys too listen up! This is the second to the last chapter, and actually, this is the chapter I told you guys previous chapters before that was inspired by a song I heard. I heard this song from a Bones promo trailer for the next episode which would be airing! :D The song is by Mecca Kalani called Feel Me. I strongly suggest you listen to it! It's extraordinarily beautiful, and her voice is amazing! Such a beautiful and heartfelt song! It really spoke to me. Even you don't wish to listen to it, I shall post the lyrics at the bottom of this chapter, but seeing as it's a new song, there aren't any actual lyrics online for it, but there are youtube videos for it now, ever since this song debuted on the Bones promo trailer. So, with that said, I will have to type the lyrics out myself. xD And you know, the last chapter was actually inspired in part by the song Xerces from Deftones. xD That's an awesome song too. "I'll be waving good bye…" Anyways, I won't keep you any longer! Enjoy this chapter! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 29**

A little over a month had passed since Luffy had returned from the sky cities. He had appealed to his people, telling them all about his trip up top as well as about the coliseum idea given to him. The people seemed eager about this idea, and many volunteered to help rebuild it from the remnants already there of one. Luffy even expressed to them his feelings, just like he had done while up there. He told them they could aspire to be so much more. They could be a great people, just like those within the skies. They could be more than just warriors.

Luffy was ecstatic, when so many expressed their agreement with him, deciding they really could be so much more. He was ecstatic to be making these changes with his people, but his heart was still so heavy. In his attempt to ignore the pain he felt, he threw himself into the hard labor of rebuilding this massive coliseum, using instructions from the sky dweller's books. In their eagerness to rebuild this great coliseum and to start the tournaments, it all started off without a hitch, and not a single fight broke out. They were far too engrossed with their tasks as well as the promise to come.

The rebuilding of the coliseum seemed to spawn other ideas and inspiration. Soon others began cleaning up their cities and deciding it was time to rebuild everything else as well. They would make their great empire and their stamp on the world as something more than just warriors. They were going to build cities to be proud of. Now that they were no longer sitting idle and with something to do and look forward to, the fighting seemed to cease all around, giving the lawman almost nothing to do. They were now able to concentrate on the rebuilding.

With the passing time, Ace had recovered quickly with the aid of Law's medical gear given to them. He was also just as eager to help Luffy rebuild their city, and for once, he felt very proud of himself as well as his people, but most of all, he felt proud of his little brother for giving their people something to aspire to. He gave them something other than just fighting, though he was giving them that as well with the coliseum. He gave them so much more, and he knew they would all always remember it.

Back at his apartment at night, Luffy, feeling exhausted, stared up at his ceiling with the cracked and peeling paint. Once the coliseum was finished, he would redo his apartment. Perhaps he could make it look similar to how they were up in the skies. Closing his eyes, he sighed when sleep would not find him. Getting out of his lumpy bed, which he would need to replace as well, he pulled on a shirt and slipped into his boots to head outside. Getting into his vehicle, he headed out of the city to the grassy fields and trees.

Shutting off his vehicle, he got out and went to lie over the heated hood. He gazed up into the dark clouds, seeing them lit up slightly with the lights from above, and tears blurred his eyes. He missed his friends and wondered if they thought about him too, but most of all, he missed Nami. She was always in his thoughts, and he knew she was hurting just as much as he was. He wished he could hold her once again and tell her everything would be okay. Nothing was okay. He was most certainly not okay.

She was up there somewhere, and he could not reach her. Slowly, he raised his arm up to the clouds as if reaching up to it; as if reaching out to her. At that very moment, was she thinking about him, like how he was of her? Was she doing all right? He could only hope she was at least living her life as she should.

Rolling his eyes closed and letting his arm drop down against his chest, he took in a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the planet, something he had not done since being up there. He could hear the creatures of the night, singing their habitual songs, which gradually lulled him to sleep. Very slowly, small tears slipped from his eyes and down his temples as he slipped off into a troubled sleep, filled with dreams of an orange haired woman smiling back at him.

High above him within the clouds, Nami stared out of her window, unable to sleep. She had been sent on a paid leave for about a month, since they believed she could not return to active duty in her current condition. The others had been sent on leave for two weeks, and already they had returned to their duties. She was all right with that. She did not think she wanted to return to work anyway, and as a matter of fact, she did not think she would return at all. Perhaps it was time to consider a new career.

Closing her eyes with a sigh, she moved away from her window and went to lie down in her bed, but the tears started, like they always did when she remembered when Luffy had been with her there. With a sniffle, she buried her face within the pillow to try and forget to be able get some sleep, but she could not do it. Sitting up again, she slipped out of bed and went to change.

After leaving her apartment building and into the garage, she got into her vehicle and just began to fly. She headed out to one of the massive glass bridges and landed her vehicle over the surface of it. It was unnerving to be walking over the thick glass, since it appeared as if she was walking on air. Going up to the wall, she pressed her hand into it and looked out.

The sun was already rising, beginning to illuminate the surface below. She could see the green fields and many trees dotting over it. It was a beautiful sight, but she almost did not see it. She remembered Luffy telling her about going out into the fields and trees. He was down there somewhere. He was there, so far away from her. Was he thinking about her as she was thinking about him? What was he doing? Was he sleeping? Had he done what he said he would do? Was he helping to improve his people? She knew he was. She knew he would do it, and that he _could_ do it.

Smiling sadly as the tears slowly fell, she pressed her forehead into the glass and sniffled. "I'm proud of you, Luffy," she whispered softly to herself. "I love you. Make your people proud."

However, hearing a vehicle coming close to her, she gasped and looked up as a Guard vehicle landed near her. A Guard stepped out and approached her. "Ma'am, are you all right? Did your vehicle break down? Did you need assistance?"

"No," she said, shaking her head and looking down below again. Her fingers curled in, and she scratched down the glass, but then she turned to go to her vehicle. "I was just leaving."

"Wait, aren't you Intel-Guard Nami?" he asked and blinked back at her in some amazement.

Pausing in her step, Nami looked up at him with a frown and said, "I don't know what you're talking about." She got into her vehicle and headed home, but the tears began to fall again. She missed him so much. How much longer could she take this?

As she drove, she saw as a speck on the other side of the glass bridge was descending towards the surface. With a frown, she watched until she could no longer see it. Looking up again to watch where she was going, she frowned even more deeply and wondered who would be heading to the surface? Maybe she should call it in? Maybe it was just the usual team, who headed down for resources, but the vehicle seemed far too small for that. Maybe it was nothing at all. She would head home to try and get some much needed sleep and forget she ever saw the vehicle.

As the sun began to rise further over the horizon, Luffy slept on unperturbed, though his brows were knitted to his dreams. However, hearing the engine of a vehicle, he gasped, and his eyes flew open wide. They opened wider to the flying vehicle hovering before him. Sitting up quickly in alarm, he frowned, until the door opened and Zoro peeked his head out with a grin.

"Well, look at what we found here!" he called down over the loud noise at Luffy.

"Z-Zoro!"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Lawl! Of course it can't be over just like that, right? xD What'd you guys think? It's not over yet though! Still got one more chapter to go! :D Please stay tuned for the last chapter!

**P.S.** Here are those lyrics I promised for those, who don't wish to look up the song. :)

Mecca Kalani – Feel Me

Feel me…

I am still here, and you're still there, I know.

I am still here, and you're still there, I know.

And I'm scared you'll leave me with no way home.

Feel me.

Feel me.

See, I've got so many keys to these doors.

I feel trapped in here, but I still want more.

Let me out of here, and please don't ignore… me.

Baby, can you feel – feel me?

Baby, can you feel – feel me?

Baby, can you feel – feel me?

In my perfect world, you're happy with me.

When I picture it, it's so heavenly.

But this fairy tale is just a story.

See, life is such an unpredictable dream.

Feel me – Feel me.

Baby, can you feel – feel me?

No, no, no, no, no, no… no.

Baby, can you feel – feel me – feel me?

Feel me…

Feel me…

Feel me…

Feel me…

Baby, can you feel – feel me?


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note:** I got no comments about the songs. ;_; That makes meh sad… Did no one listen to them? ;_; Oh wells… Anyways, here's the last chapter for you guys! I decided to just go ahead and post it to just end it. :P Thanks so much for all the support! Love you guys! Enjoy the end! It's a long one! :D

**Law and Prejudice**

**Chapter 30**

"What – What are you doing here?" Luffy called and quickly looked about, as if in fear one of his own kind would see them.

"We tracked your DNA. We were relieved to find you were out here and alone," Zoro called as the vehicle landed, and out stepped Sanji as well as Law.

"But… why are you here? Y-You could get in trouble with your superiors! Ah, your eye…" Luffy called, looking worried as he slid off his hover vehicle to approach them.

"I wouldn't worry about that. We're here under orders from the big dog and…" Zoro said as he reached up, running his finger down the scar over his eye which he had lost, but then he smirked. "I lost it fighting a worthy cause."

Luffy swallowed down hard, feeling those damned tears coming up, but he blinked them away as he smiled with a nod. He pointed to the scar under his left eye and said, "I got some of those too, and even here." He opened up his shirt to show a scar there on his chest.

"Awesome!" Zoro said with a grin, making Luffy grin as well. "So, want to come up and see the big dog?"

"The… The big dog, but… what about… you know, that guy, who tried to arrest us?" Luffy asked, looking curious.

Sighing deeply, Zoro glanced up and said, "Sakazuki did step out of line, but he was just doing what he thought was best. He takes his job seriously, and he protects the people. He did act on his own, but he did so, thinking it was for the good of all. I'm sorry about that, Luffy." He looked down at him again with a look that shared his sincerity.

"How's Ace, Luffy?" Law asked, wanting to make sure he was all right.

Luffy grinned and said, "Much better. He recovered quickly, thanks to all of what you gave to my Uncle Roger."

"That's good," Law said and finally smiled, as did the other two.

"So, what are your orders?" Luffy asked, looking curious.

The three glanced to each other with their smiles, but then looked back at him, and Sanji said, "We have a request to bring you and your family back up. The man in charge wishes to speak to you."

"What? Really?" Luffy asked and blinked, but then he nodded and said, "I understand. I'll call my family then." Just before he could, however, his den went off, alerting an incoming call. "Ah, speaking of which…" Luffy answered his den and called, "Hello?"

"Luffy, where the hell are you?"

Luffy instantly pulled the den away from his ear to his grandfather's yell, and the others smirked, hearing the yell as well. "Ah, gramps, I'm out of the city. What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, what's wrong? It's morning! We've got shit to do! Get your ass back to the city!"

"Ah, wait, gramps!" Luffy called before the old man could hang up.

"What!?"

Pulling the den away one more time, Luffy then said, "I need _you_ to come out of the city. Just head west, and bring dad, Uncle Roger and Ace with you."

"What? Why? What for?"

"Just do it. It's important, and bring the flying vehicle with you," Luffy said with a snicker, feeling extremely happy to be going up. He would get to see Nami again, right?

There was silence on the other end, but then Garp finally said, "Fine! Be there in an hour." He then hung up, and Luffy slipped his den back into his pocket.

"They're on their way," Luffy said with a snicker.

In the time Garp said, they arrived and exited the vehicle, but were surprised to see Zoro, Sanji and Law. "What're you guys doing here?" Ace asked curiously as they approached.

Zoro chuckled and said, "The big man in charge of our city would like a word with you, that is, if you're willing to speak to him, of course. It's good to see you're well."

"Thanks," Ace said, opening up his shirt and said, "I got me a nice scar now as a souvenir! It kind of matches Luffy's, except I got a scar on my back too!"

This made the three laugh, including Luffy, though he mostly snickered. "That's awesome!" Zoro exclaimed and grinned along with Luffy and Ace. "So, you guys willing to make a trip up with us? I promise there won't be any alarms or anything," he said with a chuckle.

They all exchanged looks between each other, but then all eyes inevitably landed on Garp, waiting for his word, since he was their man in charge. "And we can trust him?" Garp asked, wanting to make sure. He wanted to keep his family safe.

"I trust Zoro, Sanji and Law. If they feel it's safe, then it's safe. They wouldn't bring us into a bad situation knowingly. I really think he just wants to talk," Luffy said and nodded his head to his grandfather.

"I agree with Luffy," Ace said and nodded slowly.

Giving a growling grunt, Garp then slowly nodded and said, "We'll meet with this man and speak to him."

"Excellent! Just follow us on up, and we'll take you right to him. Want to ride with us, Luffy, Ace?" Law asked with a big smile.

"Yes!" Luffy replied right away, leaving his vehicle there to go to them.

"Yeah, sure," Ace said with a chuckle and also headed for them.

Flying over Rain City and towards the back to what looked like rows of lavish houses, Zoro finally landed the vehicle near one of these homes and got out with the others. Luffy slowly followed as he looked about the lush green lawns with beautiful trees and flowers. It was all so very nice. Luffy and his family then followed them towards where they could see a pool, making Luffy's eyes widen. Beside the pool was a red headed man lounging and over his face was a straw hat. He appeared to be asleep.

Another man standing nearby came to greet them with a smile. He held his hand out to Zoro, who approached first and said, "I apologize, he fell asleep."

"It's all right," Zoro said with a smirk as he nodded to Luffy and his family. "This is Luffy, as you remember, his grandfather Garp, father Dragon, Uncle Roger, and you remember Ace too." Zoro then turned to them and said, "This is Ben Beckman, the man in charge's second hand man."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you!" Luffy said with a grin as he accepted Ben's offered hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Luffy," Ben said and shook everyone else's hands in greeting, and from what they learned from Luffy, they greeted him in return. "I'll wake him for you," he said after the greetings and moved towards the sleeping man in the lounger. "Shanks," he called to the man, causing the man to snore loudly and lurch forward, the hat falling into his lap.

"Ah, I'm awake! I wasn't asleep!" he suddenly said, but then looked down at the hat in his lap. Picking it up, he slapped it onto his head and looked up at them.

"Riiight," Ben said with a soft chuckle.

Luffy's eyes widened, and he blinked, seeing three deep scars along the red headed man's left eye. The man looked as if he had seen a battle or two. He watched as the older man got out of the lounger and approached them. "Ah, you are Luffy!" he said, holding his hand out to Luffy with a smile.

"Ah, yeah," Luffy said with a nod and began to smile as well as he took the man's hand to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Luffy! Name's Shanks, and I run this city," he said with a chuckle, and then he looked to the others as well, but his eyes passed over Roger last. His smile changed as he looked to them all again and said, "It's very nice to meet you all. I must apologize profusely for what happened. I can assure you Sakazuki acted on his own, because he felt he had to protect our city. He… has seen the wars and fought in them… just like some of us have. I know it wasn't easy for him." He nodded his head slowly to them, and there was something in his eyes. However, with the scar there, he did not have to say he was one of them.

"Yes, some of us did," Garp agreed as he regarded the man curiously.

"Those were… horrible times – hard times and best forgotten. This is our present, and we have a future to look forward to. We should never let the past get in the way of that. We all witnessed firsthand what was in Luffy's heart. I know I did, and I don't think I have ever been so moved before," Shanks said as he looked to Luffy, "except when I was a young lad." Removing the hat from his head, he showed it to Luffy and said, "You see this hat?"

Blinking at the hat, Luffy nodded his head once in reply, but still looked confused, but then he just looked back up at Shanks again. "Yeah," he finally replied, but gasped, when Shanks placed the hat on his head.

Shanks then smiled and said, "It belonged to a warrior once, a very long time ago."

"Oh?" Luffy asked, his eyes wide and curious now as he pushed his finger into the hat to move it up out of his eyes.

"That's right, one I met on the battlefield. He walked up to me without fear, but you see, I was wounded. There was no way I could fight him. I knew what carriers were like, and I knew I was dead for sure. He walked right up to me, just staring at me with those impressively intense eyes you all have," Shanks said with an impressed scoff, "but he looked at me, took off this hat, set it on my head and proceeded to patch up my wounds. You must understand my confusion."

Luffy's eyes widened further in his fascination with the story, and even Ace was engrossed as he listened. "And then what happened?" Ace asked, wanting to know the rest.

"After he was done, he offered me a grin, and then he turned and walked away. Never even got his name… I never saw him again… until today," Shanks said quietly as he smiled and his eyes lifted again.

"What? Today?" Luffy asked and blinked, but then noticed he was looking elsewhere, and so he looked as well. Roger was just smiling back at Shanks, his eyes showing his recognition.

Shanks moved past Luffy and held his hand out. "Shanks."

Roger smiled wider, took his hand in his to shake and said, "Roger."

"Roger," Shanks repeated and smiled wider. "I never did get to say thanks. Thanks for that."

"It wasn't a problem," Roger said with a chuckle.

"Wait, you guys met before?" Ace exclaimed, looking very fascinated and impressed as well. His father really did that? "How long ago was that?"

Roger laughed and said, "I think I was around eight, and it was hardly a wound. You fell down and scraped your knee."

"And if I remember correctly, I was five, and hey, at that age, a scraped knee is life threatening!" Shanks said and also laughed.

"Wait, that's not on the battlefield! You were just kids!" Luffy exclaimed with a purse to his lips.

Roger chuckled morosely and said, "Age didn't matter back then… not to our kind. What Shanks says is true, even at that young, you were considered a warrior if you could challenge someone and win."

Garp grunted and said, "It's true… No child was safe from us."

"But… not everyone was like the carriers we knew, obviously. I knew there had to be some… like the boy I met," Shanks said and just smiled. He then looked over to Luffy and said, "Your family is special, Luffy. _You_ are special. I am sorry for what happened, but what I really want is for us to get passed our past. I'd like to offer a truce on behalf of our other cities. You see, it took a few weeks, but I met with all of the leaders from each city, and we took a vote. It took a while for some to make a decision, but the majority of us decided it was time to put the past behind us. I got votes from Edward Newgate, head of Cloud City, Boa Hancock, who runs Flower City, and by the way, she's really fascinated by you and wants to meet you in person, Cobra, head of Fire City, Vivi, his daughter, who runs Water City, Bon Clay, head of Light City, Crocodile – yes that's his real name - head of Dark City, Arlong, head of Ocean City, and Alvida, who runs Heart City, and she would also like to meet you and thank you personally. Quite honestly, they would all like to meet you, Luffy. We also voted that… you and your family are welcome to come up and visit our cities any time you want. If you think you can present our truce to your people, and if they are willing to agree, we'd like to trade technology with you. We could also help you rebuild your cities too. Maybe in time, our two races can trust one another, and they too, would be allowed to come up here."

Luffy's eyes grew much wider as he gaped at the other man, completely speechless. Did they really vote that? He felt his eyes brimming with tears quickly, and he reached out to take the other man's hand with both of his. "Th-Thank you… That… That means a lot to me."

"Are you kidding me? You're our hero, Luffy. You protected and saved us. We owe you so much. Many more of us would have died, if Enel's plan had been realized. He was planning to destroy our entire livelihood, just because real estate business wasn't going so well anymore. You see, we don't have much space up here, and we're growing. He wanted to ruin us, so we were forced back to the surface. If we had done that prematurely, more wars would have broken out. Luffy, we're hoping our two races can live peacefully together. Honestly, Enel was right about one thing. We're running out of resources and living space. We… would like more than anything to be able to return to the surface… It's… It's home. We'd like to come home," Shanks said quietly, and his expression saddened.

Luffy felt the tears returning, but he nodded his head quickly and said, "I'll do my best, Shanks. We've already begun rebuilding, and we're rebuilding a coliseum, like the one you have up here. There have been almost no fights since the rebuilding started. All of their energy is going into the labor. I honestly believe this future you speak of is possible, and if you do lend us a hand… I honestly believe they will appreciate it. I know we can do this… if we do it together."

Shanks smiled brightly, looking greatly relieved and grateful. "We'll leave it in your hands then, Luffy. I greatly look forward to this truce."

"As do we," Roger added, also looking just as grateful and relieved.

"I have to admit… it… would be nice," Dragon said and nodded slowly.

"Good, we'll speak more formally about it with the other leaders from the other cities. As I said, they want to meet you. Now, I'm sure there's one other thing you'd like to do, or rather, someone you'd like to see," Shanks said and smiled to Luffy.

Luffy nodded his head quickly and said, far too eagerly, "Yes!" However, his cheeks flushed, but he grinned with a snicker. "Yes, I would."

"Why don't you guys hang out by my pool, while Luffy takes care of business?" Shanks said and motioned for the others to follow him. "You guys want something to drink? You hungry?" he asked as Garp, Roger and Dragon followed along, the four of them talking, but Ace did not follow.

"I'd like to come with you, Luffy," Ace said and smiled to him.

"Yeah, all right," Luffy said, grinning at him and nodding.

"Come on, we'll take you," Zoro said with a smile and motioned him back to the vehicle.

Nami was lying in bed, dozing every now and then, but inevitably, like always, sleep did not find her. She was far too tired to move, and so she just lay in her bed. When the door buzzed, she sighed and called, "Leave me alone, Nojiko. I'm sleeping."

However, she groaned when the door slid opened and closed. "I said leave me alone, Nojiko. I'm really not in the mood for talking or going out or whatever else it is you suggest all the time," she muttered, pulling her pillow over her head.

When she felt the indention within the bed, she sighed. Nojiko could do whatever she wanted. However, when she felt a hard body press into her back and an arm wrap around her tightly, she stiffened and gasped. Turning around, she could only gape at the face, which greeted her, and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

"Will you talk to me?" Luffy whispered and smiled to her softly.

Surely she was dreaming. She had dreams like this before. The tears began to flow freely, and she reached out slowly to press her hand into his cheek. Closing his eyes slowly, he turned his head to press his cheek more into her warm hand, but then he turned it slightly to give her palm a kiss.

When he did this, heavy sobs wrenched her body, and she wasted no time wrapping him up tightly within her arms. "Luffy!" she cried softly, vowing never to let him go ever again right then and there.

"I'm sorry, Nami! I'm sorry I had to leave you!" he whispered, wrapping her up tight within his arms as well. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" she cried, but still could not stop the sobs forced out of her. However, despite her tears, she pulled back and smashed her lips to his. That same desperation as before ignited within them, and they did not hesitate to become as one once again.

"Whoa, and here I thought these walls were soundproof!" Nojiko said from where she sat within the living room with the others.

Ace smirked with a snicker and said, "That's my little brother!"

Nojiko scoffed and said, "This is unacceptable!" Losing his smile, Ace looked over to her, already offended, but then her next words made him blink, "My sister is younger than me, and yet she's gotten some before me!"

Ace slowly began to frown, and then he said, "Oh yeah! So has Luffy! Well, shit!"

Looking over to him, Nojiko just started, but then she burst into laughter, and soon, his laughter joined hers. "I think we're all in that boat," Law said and scoffed.

"Mmm, the boat is crowded," Sanji muttered with a pout.

"I think so too," Zoro muttered with a purse to his lips, but then he shrugged. Not like he cared or anything. When the front door rang, he looked over to it, and Nojiko went to answer it.

"Ah, you guys came! Please, come in!" Nojiko said with a grin and moved aside to let everyone inside. Robin, Usopp, Brook, Franky, Sabo and Chopper stepped inside. "Ah, Luffy's busy at the moment, but Ace is here!" she said, motioning to Ace, who gave them a lazy smirk.

"How ya doin'?" he greeted to them. They all greeted Ace in turn as they came in and sat down to make conversation.

A little while later, Nami and Luffy finally made their way out, looking freshly showered. Their cheeks were flushed, and they looked extremely happy. "Oh! Everyone's here!" Luffy called, looking very happy to see everyone else again.

"Luffy!" Usopp called and moved to greet Luffy. They both clasped hands to shake as they laughed. "It's good to see you again!"

"Hey, Luffy!" Sabo called with a grin, making Luffy manage to grin wider. "Glad to see you looking well!"

"It's good to see you both too!" he called and went to greet everyone else.

"Ah, Luffy! I brought my violin. I thought I would play for you!" Brook said, lifting up a violin case.

"I'd love that! Thanks, Brook!" Luffy said and snickered. "Robin!" he cried and hugged the other woman, who smiled brightly for him.

"You look so happy, Luffy. I'm glad you didn't have to die or get locked up," Robin said, and Luffy laughed.

"Yeah, me too!" he said and snickered.

"We're uh… really glad to hear just how happy you really are," Zoro said and smirked.

"Oh shit… Let me guess, soundproof rooms, not so soundproof," Nami muttered, and her cheeks flushed brightly.

"Yup!" the all replied at once with grins or smirks.

Luffy laughed nervously to this with his own flush, but he looked too happy to care. He was back with his friends once again. "I never even knew you had it in you to get a woman. You were never interested before," Ace said, smirking to his little brother.

"That's because I wasn't interested before. Nami is different," Luffy said with a bright smile and laced his fingers with Nami.

"It can't be that hard to get a woman, especially if Luffy can do it," Law said and scoffed.

"It's not. It's easy," Zoro said and just nodded.

"Oh yeah? Then please, enlighten us," Sanji said and smirked to Zoro.

"You just have to be straight forward, that's all. You just gotta ask, and if it doesn't work out, big deal. You move on. If you find an interesting woman, then just ask. It's as simple as that!" Zoro said and nodded his head sagely.

"Oh please oh wise one, demonstrate to us how this simple task is done," Law said and just laughed. He knew Zoro was not serious at all.

"It's easy, watch," Zoro said and turned to Robin, since she was closest to him and pointed to himself. "Are you interested in me?"

Robin gave him a bright smile and said, "Yes."

Zoro then looked to the others and said, "See? It's that easy-Wait, what?" He quickly turned to Robin, his eyes wide. "That is _not_ how I expected this to go."

Robin chuckled and asked, "Is it a problem?"

"Ah-Well, no," Zoro said, but he looked so devastatingly confused as he scratched the back of his head, that the others burst into laughter.

"Then good!" Robin said and looked to the others. "You see, it really is that easy!"

"Holy shit! It really _is_ that easy! Let me try!" Ace said, looking amused, and so he turned to Nojiko, since she was the only available female, and asked as he pointed to himself, "You interested in me?"

"Hell yeah! You're sexy"! Nojiko said with a nod and a smirk.

"Whoa, shit! It totally works!" Ace exclaimed with huge eyes, and everyone burst into laughter again.

"Hey, what the hell?" Sanji exclaimed, his jaw dropping and his cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth to all the women suddenly getting snatched up, which made everyone laugh at him.

"Well, shit… and the boat is suddenly not so crowded… I think I'll just shove Sanji overboard though. I don't mind a boat to myself," Law said with a chuckle, and the others laughed as well.

Franky's laughter finally died down, and then he said, "We should celebrate! The theme park has been repaired and reopened! We should go there so Luffy can ride all the rides!"

"That would be awesome!" Luffy exclaimed with enthusiasm, and he nearly had stars within his eyes, which made everyone laugh again. "But I want to hear Brook play first!"

"Yohohohoho! It would be my pleasure, Luffy sir!" Brook said as he opened his case and immediately began to play for everyone.

Looking over to Luffy, who was listening intently with the others, Nami smiled softly, and she felt her heart flutter strongly. Her fingers, laced with his, gave a squeeze, and he looked over to her. Seeing her smile, he smiled in return to her and brought up her hand to kiss the back of it.

Reaching out, she cupped his cheek with the other hand and whispered, "Luffy, there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh?" he asked, reaching up with his other hand as well to clasp the one pressed to her cheek. "And what is that?"

Taking in a soft breath, she closed her eyes for a moment, but then she opened them and whispered, "I'm pregnant."

Luffy blinked a few times before his eyes grew wider, but then the brightest of all his bright smiles bloomed over his features, and his eyes glistened with tears.

**The End… **

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I totally just ended it there. Lawl, I hope you guys enjoyed my story! I really enjoyed writing it, and I really enjoyed all of your reviews! Thanks so much for all of them as well as your support! You guys are great! I will have to see about finishing Possession now! X( Anyways, until next time! :]


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